


Confluence

by Latart0903



Series: Strengths and weaknesses [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Operation Kuron (Voltron), Reunions, Season 5 AU, Shiro (Voltron)-centric, VLD seasons 3 & 4 AU, oh my god the angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-05-17 00:19:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14821655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Latart0903/pseuds/Latart0903
Summary: During Voltron’s fateful battle with Zarkon, Shiro’s body is teleported to Earth but his consciousness is trapped in the astral plane where he's caught between two psychic realms and the dark spaces in between.





	1. Wake Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand we’re back! This is a direct continuation from Aftermath. BUT I’ve tried to write so that those who haven’t read it can still follow if they’d like some closure and a happy ending. Not that kind of happy ending. Ugh, I can’t believe you’d insinuate that from my writing! If you didn’t read Aftermath (I totally understand if you didn’t) and things don’t seem clear, I’ll be explaining more in the next few chapters but feel free to ask in the comments or on [Tumblr.](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/latart) Essentially Shiro’s friends uncovered some Serious Shit going down in the Garrison and met some other human/Galra hybrids, including my version of Keith’s mom (she’s more human, looks like Keith), and discovered Keith's shack. Oh, and Shiro was teleported back to Earth.  
> Thank you as always to [avidbeader](http://archiveofourown.org/users/avidbeader) for beta reading and putting a stop to my comma abuse.

The blinding purple energy exploded and ripped Voltron apart with its shockwave. Drifting among the glimmering remnants, the sense of Voltron’s wholeness died out inside of him, leaving him feeling more like himself. A little less powerful, a little more human. But the sensation lasted longer than usual when Voltron separated. It was as if he was becoming detached from his senses. 

 

He saw his lion’s cockpit because it was simply there, not because light was interacting with the cones and rods of his retinas. He heard his team’s voices because they were all around him, not because the soundwaves were vibrating inside his ears. He felt- No. There was nothing tactile about what was happening. The last thing he had felt was the weight of the bayard in his hand and the force with which he had used it to send the final burst of energy through Voltron’s sword.

 

But now, his physical body was no longer with him, no longer informing him. It was literally being pulled away from him. Or perhaps he was being pulled away from it.

 

_ It must be Zarkon. He’s still alive. _

 

He fought to remain connected, to remain present. His team needed him.

 

“Shiro!” Keith’s voice rasped with panic.

 

_ I’m OK, Keith. _ But there was no way for him to form the words. No vocal cords. No lungs. Nothing physical to command. 

 

_ No. It’s too late. _

 

He was weightless. Formless. Freed but somehow... trapped. Confined by darkness and drifting in the vacuum. Separated from everything he knew.

 

\-----

 

“Wake up!”

 

Shiro stirred, but the familiar urban sounds gave him pause before the motion of the bus could lull him back into his dream-like wanderings.  _ Hold on. I’m on a bus? _

 

With bleary eyes, he confirmed that, yes, he was on a bus. The hard seats were a generic-public-bus blue. Despite this, his surroundings had a warm and comforting rose-tinted cast, like the sun had chosen a new color to radiate down on- Earth?  _ Where am I? _ Too weary to critically dissect his situation, he shifted his weight to rest his back on the textured metal below the window. This was merely another dream. Before he could close his eyes again, he noticed a girl about his age, sitting directly across the aisle. Staring. Her eyes were wide and expectant and- Violet. Sort of like… someone he knew.  _ Why can’t I concentrate? Why I am I here? And why is she glaring at me like that? _

 

“Are you awake now?” the girl asked. She had an accent. Maybe French? Creole? She looked Caribbean.  _ I’ve always wanted to go to the Caribbean... _ Shiro’s thoughts began to wander again. He closed his eyes, succumbing to exhaustion.

 

“Get up!” the girl commanded, urgently shaking his shoulder.

 

Shiro’s eyes snapped opened this time. “What are you doing? Who are you?”

 

“I’m Lourdes. I’m a friend of a friend. And you’ll miss your stop if you don’t get up.”

 

_ My stop? _ Shiro craned his neck to peer out the window. He saw buildings, streets, cars, trees, people... Humans. All rushing past. All with the same faint pink glow. “Am I… home?” 

 

“I’ll bring you to Gwansun. She can get you home, but you must follow me.”

 

Shiro met her eyes again. The color of her irises tugged at Shiro’s heartstrings. Something about them. The bus came to an abrupt stop and he stood to follow her only because she was offering answers.  _ But do I  _ want _ to go home? _

 

From his periphery, he saw purple begin to seep into the bus. It was cold and dark as it spread and curled. Menacing. Searching.

 

“Hurry!” Lourdes shouted. He reached out for her hand, but made the mistake of glancing back. Purple overcame his vision. And then everything went black.

 

\-----

 

Shiro found himself holding a door knob in a violet-illuminated room.

 

“Where are you going, silly?” It was a different voice. Still feminine, but with a different accent. More familiar. The girl snaked her slender arms around Shiro’s torso from behind, eliciting a wave of goosebumps across his shoulders. “I thought you were going to stay with me,” she pouted before standing on her toes to place a kiss below his earlobe.

 

“I… I am, um…”  _ What’s her name again? Why can’t I remember? _

 

“Romelle,” she whispered in his ear. 

 

“Romelle,” Shiro repeated. He liked the way it rolled off his tongue. He liked the way her hands felt against his chest.

 

“You really should lie down,” Romelle said, withdrawing to light more candles around the room. “You must’ve hit your head. You always have difficulty remembering my name when you wake up.”

 

_ The bus. The pink-colored streets. That must’ve been a dream.  _

 

Shiro turned away from the door as Romelle lit the last candle on the nightstand. She lowered herself onto the regal bed, her golden hair shimmering luxuriously, complementing the deep purple of the room. “Come,” she invited, lying on her side, her gossamer gown clinging to her curves. A pang of want arose from Shiro’s gut.  _ This must be real. _

 

Shiro obeyed and approached the bed to lie beside her. She softly ran her fingers through his hair, soothing his disoriented mind.

 

“My knight in shining armor. I had given up on being rescued. But you came, so brave and strong.” 

 

Deep violet shadows danced around the room as the candles flickered, making Shiro’s eyelids feel heavy. The purple was cold and yet somehow peaceful. As long as he didn’t struggle. 

 

“Rest, my brave champion.” 

 

Shiro stiffened.  _ That word… _

 

Romelle immediately stroked the backs of her fingers along Shiro’s cheekbone. “Shhh…” Her eyes remained watchful but Shiro relaxed under her touch. “Close your eyes.”

 

Maybe this was what it was like to drown. Peace after the struggle. Peace after submission. 

 

Peace. 

 

And then sleep.

 

\-----

 

The sun had already risen when Woolf sleepily shuffled into Medina’s house. He and the others took turns each night keeping an eye on Shiro in the cellar of the shack, in case he woke up. Gwansun insisted that he be kept there. She needed to utilize the quintessence that was naturally concentrated in that part of the desert.

 

As Woolf stepped into the guest bedroom, the door creaked and Celine stirred in the bed. “Hey,” she yawned.

 

“Go back to sleep,” her boyfriend whispered, pulling off his tee.

 

She propped herself up instead. “How is he?”

 

Woolf shrugged. “Same… Before I left, the medtechs showed up and took a look at him. They said they’re going to insert a feeding tube in the next day or two.”

 

Celine’s eyes filled with pain. “That’s…”

 

“I know. But we have to. It’s taking a lot longer than Gwansun thought it would.” Woolf paused, one leg out of his jeans, as a soft repeating tone began sounding from Celine’s phone. “Is that your alarm?”

 

“No… I’ve never heard it make that sound before.” She leaned off the edge of the bed to pick up the phone. Focusing her sleep-blurred eyes on the screen, she read the notification in disbelief. “It’s the satellite.”

 

“Is the damn solar panel covered with sand again? I just cleaned it off the other day. I think we made that sensor way too sensitive,” Woolf griped.

 

“No. It’s a message notification.” Celine jumped out of bed. “They responded to our message! We have to wake up Moore!”

 

\-----

 

Message received from Voltron:

 

Dear friends,

 

We have received your message.

 

Voltron and its growing coalition stands with Earth. We will monitor your sector for distress signals but you must be prepared for invasion. We’ve sent a second message that contains schematics and technological specifications for constructing a particle barrier generator which may be of use in your preparations. Additionally, the Blades on Earth have the full support of the Blade of Marmora. Please advise if a rescue mission is needed.

 

Hunk Garrett, Katie Holt, and Lance McClain are with me. Please notify their families of their safety. We are still searching for Commander and Matt Holt, but have promising leads.

 

After a significant battle with Zarkon and his fleet, Shiro is missing. We will continue our search, but I will regretfully be leading Voltron in the interim.

 

-Keith

 

\-----

 

A honking car horn startled Shiro. But then he felt Romelle’s soothing pull and began following her energy.

 

Shiro felt a hand grabbing his, jerking him back. “Gwansun, can you get here? He’s fading again. Takashi! Focus on my voice. Stay with me.”

 

Romelle’s energy weakened and then dissolved as Shiro focused on his surroundings. He was standing on a sidewalk on a busy street, somewhere on Earth. Everything pink. He recognized Lourdes this time. And standing beside her, was someone new: a white woman in her late thirties with bleach-blonde hair and large black sunglasses. 

 

“Where did Romelle go?” Shiro asked.

 

“Tell Romelle I’ll fuck her shit up if she comes near you with her stupid golden hair,” the blonde barked impatiently.

 

“Elise, that’s not going to help. Romelle isn’t even real,” Lourdes criticized.

 

_ Romelle isn’t real? _ “What are you talking about? Of course she’s real. We live in a castle on Pollux,” Shiro replied.

 

“Oh, this bitch has a castle now? It’s going down. She’s always one-upping us,” Elise snapped. “It’s bad enough her hair is better than mine. I mean, seriously. Takashi, my roots aren’t that bad, right? Do I need to get them done? Or is that what’s drying out my hair? Is it time for me to go brunette? I just don’t  _ feel _ like a brunette, you know?”

 

Confused, Shiro glanced down at Elise. “Um... your hair’s fine. I’m sorry but everything keeps changing and- How do I know you?”

 

“We’re trying to get you out of here. You’re trapped,” Lourdes answered.

 

“But I need to… be somewhere.”  _ But where? With Romelle? _

 

“We’ll help you get back to Vol-” Elise caught herself. “We’ll get you to where you need to be, but first you need to come with us.”

 

Lourdes elbowed Elise and hissed, “Remember, don’t say the V-word.”

 

_ V? Something important.  _

 

_ Vol… _

 

“Voltron! I have to get back to Voltron!”

 

The people and buildings immediately vanished as Shiro’s mind raced.  _ That’s what I was looking for! How do I get out of here? How do I get back to Voltron?  _ He needed to keep searching. He had to find Voltron.

 

But Shiro was now floating through a black void. It could’ve been outer space, but there weren’t even stars to keep him company. 

 

Once again, there was nothing but oppressive darkness.

 

\-----

 

Disoriented, Shiro found himself kneeling in a beautiful garden, a purple castle looming over him. But Romelle’s laughter told him that she was nearby. He could stop looking for... whatever he thought he was looking for. 

 

He smiled and breathed in the fragrant juniberries. He was safe.

 

\-----

 

“So, do we send the message in another song?” Celine asked while finishing breakfast in Medina’s kitchen a few days later.

 

“I think it’s the safest option to keep it disguised. Not that the Garrison is a threat anymore,” Moore replied, peeking over his laptop with a smug grin. “Woolf, you got any song ideas?”

 

“Well, it’s to get Keith’s attention, right?” Woolf clarified.

 

“I think it should still be relevant for the both of them.” Celine scrolled through the Pink Floyd albums she was familiar with but shivered as she read song titles like “Comfortably Numb” and “Nobody Home.” She tried not to think of Shiro’s current state.  _ Maybe something more upbeat. Keith is dealing with a lot right now.  _

 

She consulted David Bowie’s catalog next. Bypassing “Lazarus” and “Space Oddity”, she located “Starman” and played it.

 

_ There's a starman waiting in the sky _

_ He'd like to come and meet us _

_ But he thinks he'd blow our minds _

_ There's a starman waiting in the sky _

_ He's told us not to blow it _

_ Cause he knows it's all worthwhile _

 

“They’ll be monitoring for any sort of song from Earth now that they know we’re transmitting. Might as well keep it on the lighter side,” Celine offered.

 

“Works for me,” Moore said, typing a message to embed. “Do we tell him about his mom?”

 

Celine and Woolf exchanged hesitant glances. “Eh… one thing at a time.”

 

“What about Shiro?”

 

“Let’s just say that he’s here with us. Keith doesn’t need to know about Shiro’s separation of body and consciousness right now,” Celine reasoned. “It took them almost four months to respond to the first message. I don’t want to assume anything, but Gwansun’s gotta be able to find Shiro by the time Keith responds to the next one.”

 

Already in uniform, Medina walked into the kitchen and looked at the time. “What are you guys doing? Neither of you are ready?! I’m not driving your asses if you’re gonna make me late every morning. Get dressed! Vámonos!”

 

Woolf snickered into his coffee cup as Celine and Moore scrambled to finish their food. “Should I pack you a lunch box, darling?”

 

Celine shot Woolf a don’t-mock-me-or-else-you-get-no-sex glare. There were daily resignations at the Garrison over the Kerberos Investigation’s reorganization and so Celine had recently accepted a lab assistant position in the mechanics program. 

 

And since Moore had almost single-handedly exposed the source of the Garrison’s corruption and had already accessed so much of the Garrison’s sensitive information, his dishonorable discharge was revoked. He was now overseeing the Kerberos Investigation’s computer engineers and technology specialists.

 

“Hey, Team Unemployment, you can pack my lunch,” Medina teased Woolf as he hurried the other two out of the kitchen. “And straighten up around here, will ya? No watching soaps today!” 

 

“But Enrique is back and he’s going to confront Sara about her affair with Phillipe!!” Woolf exclaimed.

 

“Phillipe is bad news!” Jules interjected as he set his luggage down and stood in the doorway. “But he’s hot as fuck.”

 

“I might have a man crush on him,” Woolf admitted. “Where are you guys going?”

 

“Jesper and I are driving to Fresno with Gwansun. She thinks building a more familiar landscape will help, so she wants to see where he used to live.”

 

“Are you guys stopping by his aunt’s?”

 

“No. Jesper’s not telling family until this situation is figured out,” Jules replied.

 

\-----

 

Message transmitted to Voltron:

 

The Blades on Earth and one of their prominent leaders, Gwansun Lee, have been freed. 

 

Galaxy Garrison leadership was corrupted by Galra clone technology. It is called Experiment Kuron and was implemented approximately twenty years ago on Earth and other planets to test the technology. It is unknown if the experiment is part of a larger operation, but a Kerberos investigatory team has expanded into an international collaboration and is looking into the matter.

 

Shiro is here with us. He is safe. A teleport hub under the shack in the desert is back in operation. 

 

We hope to see you soon.

 

\-----

 

Another rose-tinged dream faded when the purple light called to him and Shiro woke up in a bed, bathed in lavender. Romelle was lying alongside him, tracing circles on his chest. “Good morning, my brave knight.”

 

“Good morning,” Shiro replied. He had a strange nagging feeling that he wasn’t supposed to be here. His haunting dreams were trying to tell him something.  _ Are those even dreams? _

 

“Father has given us his blessing! The castle has already begun preparations for the wedding. I’m so excited.” Romelle got out of bed and sauntered across the room to gaze out the window. “Let’s take a walk in the gardens, shall we?”

 

_ A wedding? _

 

Romelle turned to Shiro. “Are you all right, my love? What troubles you? You don’t want to take a walk?” Her eyes flashed with concern. 

 

“No… nothing is wrong. We can walk in the gardens,” Shiro answered. 

 

Romelle walked back toward Shiro, interlaced her hand in his, and pulled him off of the bed, smiling brightly. The joy she exuded seemed to wrap its tendrils around Shiro’s heart. He could be happy if he would just let himself embrace reality. He had a beautiful princess that loved him and a castle full of guards to keep him safe. No more fighting.  _ What was I fighting for? _ Maybe the dreams that plagued him would stop if he just accepted that he could be content here. 

 

She led him to the window, but when he looked out, he saw nothing but a black expanse dotted with stars and a glowing purple plane. “Where are the gardens?”  _ What was I fighting for? _

 

“The gardens are right in front of you, silly! See all the pink and purple juniberries? My uncle brought them here and they have flourished on our planet.”

 

He looked again and saw only a single tree with rose-colored blooms off in the distance. “That tree out there?”  _ What was I fighting for? _

 

“There’s no tree. Oh, dear. Maybe we should have the family medic evaluate you again.”

 

_ I was fighting for Voltron.  _

 

_ I  _ am _ Voltron. _

 

“I need to get back to Voltron,” Shiro blurted.

 

Romelle brushed the pads of her fingers down the side of Shiro’s cheek. “My love, Voltron is no longer needed. There is no more war. There is no more fighting. Just stay here and be happy with me.” 

 

Shiro ignored her and the illusion began cracking. The walls faded as he walked through them and toward the flowering tree.  _ I was fighting for Voltron.  _ “No, stay here!” Romelle cried, fingers tightening with a claw-like grip on his arm. Shiro startled at the sudden change in her demeanor and shook her off. “Stay!” Her voice rasped with desperation but she, too, disappeared with the castle.

 

As Shiro glided toward the tree, the pink sidewalks re-emerged. Buildings, cars, and people gradually materialized and something like gravity gently grounded him. It felt like Earth. His previous dreams of Earth before hadn’t felt quite like this, though. They were always unfamiliar streets and cities. They were definitely from Earth but perhaps someone else’s dreams. But this felt more like home.

 

Another tree appeared. And then another. They were cherry blossoms, in full bloom. He recognized the park. He was in Fresno. This was the park he took his mother to when she visited from Japan. 

 

As he approached the entrance, he saw a tea shop that he’d never noticed before. A Korean girl with both sides of her head shaved was waiting outside the door, arms folded, annoyance plastered to her face. Her purple eyes grabbed him.  _ Keith has purple eyes, too.  _ He was going to get back to Keith. Maybe the women with purple eyes knew him. Rather than running this time, he decided to let himself be drawn toward the tea shop.

 

“Took you long enough,” the girl complained when he was within earshot.

 

“Me?”

 

“Yay, Su! You found him!” Elise was suddenly standing to Shiro’s right.

 

“Gwansun found him. I’m just making sure he doesn’t bolt again,” Su replied in a monotone voice.

 

“Why are you always trying find me?” Shiro asked.

 

Lourdes appeared on his left and took him by the arm. “Please come with us and Gwansun will explain everything.”

 

The group entered the bustling cafè, meandered between tightly packed tables, and then exited out the back onto a patio where the cherry blossoms could be seen. 

 

Shiro looked around and stopped when he recognized someone at the corner table. “Jesper?!”

 

His longtime friend smiled warmly. “Hi, Shiro.”

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“Waiting for you. Have a seat.” His eyes were bluer than Shiro remembered and his energy seemed lighter, like his years of emotional baggage had finally been lifted.

 

Despite the shock at seeing Erikson, his attention was drawn to the woman seated beside him. “We’ve been expecting you,” she said. She was older than the others, but she had aged elegantly. Her long dark hair was pulled tightly away from her face, accentuating her sharp features. An angled chin, a pointed nose, intense purple eyes. Most people probably thought she looked intimidating but to Shiro she was absolutely beautiful. Probably because she resembled-

 

“Do you know Keith?” Shiro blurted.

 

The woman smiled. “I guess I used to. He’s my son, but we can discuss that later. Would you like some tea?”

 

“I know he’d love to see you again.”

 

Gwansun pressed her lips together to suppress her emotion. “I’d love to see him as well.”

 

“Am I back on Earth?”

 

“Not yet. But we don’t have much time,” the woman said, passing a small cup of tea to Shiro. “I will bring you back to Earth.”

 

“What about Voltron?”

 

“You need to come with me first. Then we’ll get you to Voltron.”

 

“But Romelle said that Voltron isn’t needed anymore.”

 

“She’s a distraction, Takashi.”

 

“Why would she try to distract me?”

 

“She is part of a dream that has been constructed solely for you. To confine you. To keep you content. And to keep you from wanting to get back to your team.”

 

Shiro sipped his tea, the familiar taste bringing back more memories from Earth. “But she seemed… very real.” 

 

“You cannot go back to her. Do not listen when she calls for you. The longer you stay with her, the more you obey her, the stronger she’ll become.”

 

“You said she was constructed. By whom?”

 

“The Galra. Maybe you knew her in another lifetime, or another reality. They’ve tapped into that and are trying to use it against you.” 

 

How long had he been under her spell? How much time had he wasted?  _ How long have I been away from Keith? _

 

Gwansun gave Shiro time to sort his thoughts, but the empathy in her face hardened when she looked past him and toward the restaurant. “We have to go now.”

 

Shiro looked over his shoulder and saw purple beginning to permeate the side of the teashop. He could hear Romelle calling for him among dozens of footsteps. She’d brought the guards to retrieve him this time.

 

“Take my hand, Takashi!” Gwansun shouted over the growing noise. “You must focus on my energy and I can bring you back to Earth!”

 

From inside the restaurant, he could hear people shouting as tables were overturned, the guards’ voices getting louder as they searched for him. The purple light grew brighter. Beside Gwansun, Erikson rose from the table and took a fighting stance. “I’ll hold them off!”

 

“Takashi, now!” Gwansun cried.

 

“But… Erikson hates hand-to-hand combat. He hates fighting,” Shiro said, bewildered.

 

“Takshi, you will find that your home and your friends have changed. All in trying to find the truth. Please, come with me and you will see for yourself.”

 

Ignoring the unfolding chaos behind him, Shiro held the woman’s hand with his left, following the pull of her energy. But the sounds around him became deafening. From the corner of his eye, he watched Lourdes, Su, and Erikson leap into action to fight off the guards.  _ I need to stay and fight… _

 

Enveloped in Gwansun’s energy, her response echoed around him.  _ You will fight when it is your time. You must come with me.  _

 

_ I can’t leave Erikson to fight alone… _

 

Shiro’s prosthesis began glowing, but Gwansun’s grip tightened around him.  _ Takashi,  _ she warned.

 

He heard Erikson’s voice, now far away. “Shiro, no!!! Go with her!” 

 

Gwansun’s force seized Shiro and tore him away from the teashop.

 

\----

 

Drenched in sweat and Galra-tech arm illuminated, Shiro jolted upright in a gurney, pulling IV lines with him as he twisted and punched to his left. His glowing fist connected with a metal wall. The impact dented the surface and reverberated around the room, causing dirt to fall from above him. 

 

Real dirt. It wasn’t the stuff he’d seen on Olkarion. Or Taujeer. Or Arus.

 

He was on Earth.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for reference, I based Romelle on the 80s version that Sven fell in love with, not the adorable version we got after I wrote this chapter.
> 
> The [Strengths and Weaknesses Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/vn4nlsmslld9gxecp47ntmz4a/playlist/6lodpOCBxkBfpajjUK5pYV?si=AWEYcPQ-Q8aDmKXFONEnzA) is updated with “Starman” as well a Human League song I considered using. I’ll add to it if other songs make their way into the next few chapters. I also continue to update the [character playlists](https://open.spotify.com/user/vn4nlsmslld9gxecp47ntmz4a?si=tJr2XE3XQXmEYc7ZnNncjQ) for those of you who follow them. Rivali’s playlist in particular has gotten out of hand at this point. I need to stop. But I’m apparently addicted to creating themed playlists! Even if they’re just for myself, lol.
> 
> And for those of you who missed it, avidbeader commissioned a gorgeous gif from [@cryopcds](https://twitter.com/cryopcds) ( [@goodtohaveyouback](https://goodtohaveyouback.tumblr.com/) on tumblr) of [The Kiss](https://twitter.com/cryopcds/status/998933818009677824) from Chapter 12 of Strengths and Weaknesses.
> 
> Thank you thank you thank you for reading! I love comments, please scream at me all you want.


	2. I don't know if I like what you've done with your hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro wakes up on Earth a little disoriented, but his friends hurl themselves at him and get him up to speed. And feed him. Dude’s been living off of food goo for months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Feels like it's been a while!
> 
> Don’t laugh but I finally figured out how to type an em dash on my mac. I swear I know how to computer. Sorry for all the previous misuses of the hyphen.

Shiro felt around for another pillow and cuddled it, comforted by the crispness of the sheets and the feeling of sunlight warming his skin. Dismissing the nagging feeling that he should get out of bed and do something, he sighed happily and squeezed the pillow tighter. The air filling his lungs felt oddly perfect, like the air pressure and chemical composition were just right. Effortless and familiar.

 

“How long is he going to sleep?” a voice whispered. 

 

“Shhh. And stop poking him!” another voice hissed. 

 

“I’m not touching him!” 

 

Shiro smiled. It almost sounded like Medina.

 

“You were totally touching him!”  _ Woolf? _

 

“I touched the blanket!”  _ Definitely Medina. _

 

“Let him sleep.” Gwansun’s sharp hiss cut through his friends’ not-quiet-enough voices. “Don’t make me kick you two out again.” 

 

Shiro’s brain began to catch up, dark purple dreams of someone else’s design flooding his senses: a beautiful woman in a castle offering boundless comfort and safety as a distraction. Was he still sleeping? Or was this—here and now—finally real? And then he remembered the strange sensation of falling into his body on Earth.  

 

On Earth. Surrounded by friends. He opened his eyes and a New York Yankees insignia came into focus. “Please tell me that’s not the same hat,” Shiro mumbled into the fluff of the pillow.

 

“Shiro!” Medina squealed in an unbecoming pitch.

 

From behind Medina, Woolf snickered. “You’re not going to believe it, Shiro. It’s the same damn hat. I tried to wash it one time and Medina called me from work, the very moment before I threw it in the washing machine. I think so many brain cells have rubbed off on the hat that he has a strange connection to it now.”

 

“How would my brain cells rub off through my skull, dude?”

 

Woolf crossed his arms. “You’re right, your skull is too thick. Maybe you share a special bond with all of the bacteria thriving on it.”

 

Shiro chuckled as he sat up but then immediately paused. When was the last time he’d laughed? The sensation felt foreign.

 

Worried by Shiro’s abrupt silence, Medina panicked. “Oh shit, you broke him already. You OK, Shiro?”

 

Despite the dull ache behind his eyes, Shiro took survey and noted that he actually felt rested for the first time in… How long had he been sleeping? How long had he been away? It felt like weeks and yet mere seconds. “Yeah… I’m feeling much better, actually.” 

 

Pain suddenly seared his vision, Keith’s voice fading further and further away as Shiro disappeared into the void of space. The glow of Haggar’s eyes suddenly appeared, shrouded in a nebula of purple. He shook his head to gain control of his thoughts, suppressing a shriek of panic. 

 

“That’s enough, you two,” Gwansun interrupted and shooed his two friends out of the room. After quietly shutting the door, she sat on the edge of the bed, concern furrowing her brow. Her slender fingers ghosted over his knuckles. “How’s your head? Are you seeing her?”

 

Romelle or Haggar? Or both? “Yeah, just flashbacks, I think… I hope.”

 

“They’ll get better. Take it easy today, but staying awake will enable your consciousness to acclimate. Do you know where you are?”

 

Aided by the energy of his surroundings, Shiro grasped at the foggy memories from his carefree days at the Garrison. “I’m… Is this Medina’s house?”

 

“Yes. We moved you from the teleport hub in the desert. Although it wasn’t easy.”

 

“Yeah! Your deadweight is still a bitch to carry!” Medina shouted through the door.

 

“I thought you went downstairs!” Gwansun snapped back.

 

“No… Can we come back in?”

 

Gwansun groaned in annoyance but Shiro welcomed the interruption. He yearned for human interaction to distract him from the nightmares lurking in the dark corners of his consciousness. “It’s OK. I want to see my friends.”

 

“Yes, but are you ready for  _ him _ ?” Gwansun nodded her head toward the door. “He gives me a headache.”

 

Shiro couldn’t help but laugh and this time it felt a little more normal. “That’s Medina…”

 

\-----

 

“I gotta be real with you, I don’t know if I like what you’ve done with your hair.”

 

Shiro set Medina and Nadia’s engagement photo proofs on the bed stand and ran his fingers through his forelock, pulling a few white strands into view. “No? I was kind of going for silver fox.”

 

Medina cocked an eyebrow. “Has Keith seen it?”

 

“Of course he’s seen it!”

 

“Oh, right. I forgot it was white in that video feed. Dude, he kicked Iverson’s ass! You gotta watch it! That old man was, like, flying across the screen and shit!” Medina said, doing a piss-poor job of reenacting Iverson soaring through the air. “But seriously, the white streak makes you look old as fuck.”

 

“I’m not going to dye it.”

 

“Dude, I’m messing with you. I definitely don’t need you running around with a dye job like my abuela. Her hair’s a fucking neon red brillo pad. I’m like, listen, it doesn’t look natural, someone please tell her. My sister’s just like, she’s happy, leave her alone, she thinks she looks younger and hits on all the men at church.”

 

Shiro chuckled to himself. Although Medina had matured, taking his role of soon-to-be stepfather very seriously, the friend Shiro remembered was still the same deep down.

 

After a knock at the door, Celine stuck her head into the room, eyes lighting up at the sight of Shiro sitting up in bed. “We’re so happy you’re OK!” she said, throwing her arms around Shiro. “How’s Keith?”

 

“He’s… good. I think. I just don’t know how long I’ve been away.” Shiro’s thought process was interrupted as Celine withdrew her arms and interlocked her fingers with Woolf’s. Shiro ducked his head to whisper to Celine. “I thought you were dating the younger Woolf brother.”

 

Celine grinned. “I kind of… upgraded.” 

 

Medina disappeared into the en-suite bathroom and returned, weilding an electric shaver. “Let’s get you cleaned up, you’re looking a little shaggy. Unless you just want to chill for another week. I’m sure Woolf can share the couch and a pair of ratty sweatpants. It’ll go with that white tank you’ve been wearing for, what, two weeks now?”

Celine elbowed her boyfriend. “Elliot can get you up to speed on all the best that daytime programming has to offer.”

 

“I’m making the most of my unemployment,” Woolf retorted. “And I like my soap operas.”

 

Shiro ran a hand through his undercut to discover that he barely had one. He looked down to find that he was wearing the standard issue medical undergarments the Garrison used in quarantine. And then he willed his brain to stop right there because he didn’t want to know who had changed him out of his baselayers.“Yeah, I guess I do need a trim,” he said. 

 

“I’ll leave you guys to it,” Celine said before exiting the room. “Erikson should be here soon.”

 

“So… Medina’s planning a wedding and you’re dating your brother’s ex and addicted to  _ Days of Our Lives? _ What else have I missed since I’ve been gone?” Shiro asked Woolf as they walked into the bathroom.

 

“I don’t even know where to start...” Woolf replied.

 

\-----

 

Erikson wasn’t himself. But in a good way. Seated on the edge of the tub in the crowded bathroom, he exuded an energy more positive than Shiro could recall him ever possessing. “What happened?” seemed like a decent place to start.

 

“Everything. Moore found the footage of you when you came back. He leaked it to the public and there were protests. He hacked the Garrison’s highest security servers and found their files on Voltron, as well as the Galra: the ones you were fighting and the ones that have been living here for centuries. That’s how we found Gwansun and some others that have helped us. The Garrison was rounding up anyone with Galra heritage and keeping them isolated in camps so that the public wouldn’t find out. So we leaked that information, too. It was chaos but after being deceived by the Garrison for so long, people are surprisingly open to aliens living among them,” Erikson explained as Medina finished touching up Shiro’s hair. 

 

“That’s…” Shiro was astounded. He’d encountered so many planets where interacting with other alien civilizations was a necessary reality. It was hard to believe that Earth was adapting so quickly. And that his closest friends had played such an integral role.

 

“I know, literally six months ago I would’ve thought this whole scenario was impossible. And now... I’ve actually decided to start working on prerequisites so that I can apply to law school.

 

“You’re going into law?!” Shiro repeated in disbelief. “I thought you were against it because that’s what your father always wanted.”

 

“This is different. Intergalactic immigration? This is the future. I know what my purpose is now. And my younger sister is really behind the idea as well so maybe we’ll have a law firm one day. I still don’t really speak to the rest of my family. And my dad’s still an asshole,” Erikson added. Medina snorted in agreement. 

 

Shiro was speechless. After years of studying for exams and practicing in the sims together, he’d watched Erikson every step of the way, always driven to prove his family wrong by standing out at the Garrison. But Shiro had never seen this level of purpose in his friend. He was finally comfortable in his own skin, regardless of his family’s approval. “I’m… I’m so happy for you.”

 

Erikson offered a weak smile and then dropped his head. “Thanks. I just wish—I feel like I didn’t challenge the Garrison enough when they came back with that pilot error bullshit. I gave up too easily and let you down. What if they’d investigated Kerberos sooner?”

 

“I still would’ve been a Galra prisoner and Earth would still be ill-equipped to fight them. And if the Garrison had managed a successful rescue mission, then maybe I wouldn’t be a part of Voltron.” Shiro put his hand on Erikson’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “You didn’t let me down. It was meant to be this way.”

 

“Knock knock.” A vaguely familiar person squeezed into the bathroom. “It’s good to see you up and around, Superman.”

 

“J-Jules?!”

 

“Yep. The one-night stand that keeps on giving!” Jules joked as he leaned down to place a small but tender kiss on Erikson’s temple. Again, Shiro’s mind reeled, picking up on the many details that were different in his friends’ lives. “Did I give you guys enough time to catch up? I want to see this arm of yours!” Jules demanded, yanking Shiro’s metal prosthesis for inspection. “You’re literally a goddamn superhero now. When you punched the dirt wall in the teleport hub and almost took out Rivali’s genitals, I thought I saw this thing light up.”

 

“I almost punched Rivali?” Shiro sputtered. Medina snorted again, this time in amusement.

 

“Yeah. That idiot is on his way, too,” Jules muttered before the enthusiasm returned to his voice. “Did your arm glow when you woke up or did I imagine that?”

 

Shiro focused on his arm and engaged it. Purple filled the metallic shape and illuminated the room, glinting off the white tile. He could feel the air in the small room grow still as his friends held their breath.

 

“Oh my god! Purple?! It glows purple? Show-off. You’d be such a hit at the gay bar.”

 

Erikson snickered and shook his head. “Jules, you’re not taking him to the bar.”

 

“Just once? Please?”

 

“Hey,” Medina chimed in. “Can that arm of yours do some motherfucking landscaping? I’ve got some hedges that need to be trimmed. Maybe you can be all Edward Scissorhands and make a giraffe topiary or something.” 

 

Jules clapped his hands. “Not as good as dragging you to the bar, but I’ll take it!”

 

\-----

 

“You finally woke up!” Moore burst through the front door in Garrison uniform while Shiro shoveled in the most amazing omelette he could ever recall eating, Medina’s heavy-handed use of salt invigorating his very soul. Hunk did what he could with food goo but nothing could replace the real thing.

 

Shiro put his heavenly breakfast on hold to stand and embrace his friend. Moore took the seat to his right and giddily eyed his prosthesis until curiosity and love for all things made of metal and wires got the best of him. “Do you mind if…”

 

“I know you’re going to want to run every diagnostic test you can on this thing,” Shiro said, switching his fork to his left hand and holding out his galra tech arm for inspection.

 

“Oh my god, this is the coolest shit I’ve ever seen,” Moore gushed. “It moves so seamlessly. It’s beautiful. How does it communicate with your brain? Does it use myoelectric impulse? Can you feel this? Does it hurt? Am I asking too many questions?” 

 

Shiro laughed at his friend’s rapid-fire interrogation. “It’s fine. It was… strange at first. But it never really hurt. I’m not sure how it works, it feels as natural as my own arm. The previous versions weren’t as advanced or comfortable, though.”

 

Moore nodded with tight lips, clearly not wanting to make Shiro dredge up memories of being  experimented on by the Galra. He poked and prodded and then gestured at a small port on his wrist. “Can this transfer information?”

 

“Yeah, Pidge—err, Katie Holt has used it before. There’s definitely data on here, I’m not exactly sure what, though.” 

 

“Between the info we could potentially get from your arm and the intel we already have, do you think that we can build fighters?”

 

“Build fighters? Like for—” Shiro stopped mid-sentence and read the unspoken urgency in Moore’s eyes. 

 

Fighter jets. For war. So that Earth would have a fighting chance when the day came. “Maybe…”

 

Moore’s grip tightened on his prosthesis, the biosensors instantaneously sending feedback to Shiro’s brain. “We need your help, Shiro. We need all the help we can get. I’m sure you’d agree that we have a significant technological disadvantage. We’re finally in contact with Voltron and they sent us some helpful particle barrier specs, but it’s been a slow process trying to communicate.”

 

“I was there when we received your first message; I’m guessing they got around to responding after the fight with Zarkon. Is everyone all right?”

 

“Yeah. Keith responded. Everyone’s fine, but... They think you’re missing. And it sounds like he’s reluctantly leading Voltron until you return.”

 

The glimmer of pride Shiro felt was overcome by a hollowing in his gut at the thought of Keith alone, once again believing that Shiro had disappeared from his life. “I have to get back.”

 

“You will. We’ll help you get back to Voltron but—” Moore started.

 

Voltron? Was it selfish to want to get back to Keith more? To say to hell with the universe and let it fall apart all around them as long as he could have Keith in his arms? He could survive just on Keith’s love… at least for a little while. They could escape to some tiny little moon in a distant galaxy on the edge of the universe. If they stockpiled hydration pouches, how long could they live in hiding and survive without food? Shiro bitterly noted the irony as he shoveled in another mouthful of eggs and sodium.

 

“— in the meantime, the Garrison could use your guidance,” Moore continued. 

 

Earth needed help, there was no doubt. And while melting into Keith’s touch or fighting purple aliens sounded infinitely more appealing, this would have to be his mission for now. He had always known there would come a time where he’d have to defend Earth. Or at least make sure they were prepared to defend themselves. “Of course. I’m not exactly sure what you can extract from my arm but I’ll help any way I can,” Shiro said, scraping every last bit of food off of his plate.

 

Medina dug around his fridge for more things to feed Shiro and emerged with some leftover Chinese takeout. “I know you never liked the fried rice at Phoenix Garden but—”

 

“I’ll take it,” Shiro interrupted.

 

“Damn, dude,” Medina said under his breath, impressed by Shiro’s ravenous appetite and readying a plate to be microwaved.

 

“Um… what  _ do _ you eat up there?” Erikson inquired.

 

“Altean food goo. It’s green and… it’s sustenance. It does the job.”

 

Gwansun squeezed between the growing mass of people in Medina’s kitchen to place a grounding hand on his shoulder. “Just let me know if this is too much, OK?” 

 

Shiro nodded. This was a little overwhelming. But it was perfect. Keith had helped Shiro piece together his scattered memories from the Garrison. And now here it was in front of him. Like he’d never left. _ Almost, _ Shiro thought as a wisp of white hair fell into his periphery.  _ Almost. _

 

While Shiro inhaled round two of breakfast, Medina answered a hesitant rap at the front door. “The fuck happened to you guys? Why the hell do all of you smell like an electrical fire and burnt coffee?”

 

The door opened to a frazzled Rivali, flanked by the three women who had guided Shiro toward Gwansun in the astral plane. 

 

“I said I was sorry!” Elise help up her hands, tossing her coat on the couch and walking away from Rivali’s tired glare.

 

“What happened?” Moore asked, craning his neck to look towards the door.

 

“Well, Elise successfully set fire to my microwave. And half of my kitchen,” Rivali responded.

 

“A _ third, _ not half. Stop exaggerating. Everyone was busy and I needed caffeine. I’m sorry I don’t know how to work your stupid stone-aged coffee maker!”

 

“It’s a percolator, Elise! Not everything has a button you just push like your high-tech coffee maker back at home.”

 

“I don’t even do that. I just walk to the bodega on the corner.”

 

Rivali covered his face and uttered a muffled, “This explains so much.”

 

Moore fought back a snicker. “You put the metal pot in the microwave, didn’t you?”

 

“Whatever! I’ll pay for the damage! But a good thing came out of all this: the firemen were hot.”

 

“Medina, please take them back,” Rivali groaned.

 

“No can do, amigo. I’m at capacity, here,” Medina responded with a grin.

 

“And I’m not going back to sleeping on the couch again,” Moore chimed in. “My neck hurts just thinking about it.”

 

“Goddammit,” Rivali complained.

 

“Oh my god, you have three women in your condo, this is the most action you’ve gotten in your entire life. Stop giving me shit or I’ll hold you down and chop your hair off when you least expect it,” Elise threatened.

 

Rivali scoffed and narrowed his eyes. “You can’t hold me down.”

 

“Watch me, bitch,” Elise spat while Su rolled her eyes and held her friend back.

 

“Seriously, you can’t call me a bitch. You just set fire to my kitchen.”

 

“Whatever. Stop being a baby about it.”

 

Shiro couldn’t help but smile at the amusing exchange. He also noted that Medina and Rivali weren’t at each other’s throats. Progress...

 

Lourdes stepped forward and extended her hand, purple eyes instantly speaking to Shiro, as they had in the astral plane. These women were part Galra, just like Keith. He stood and gripped her forearm in a traditional Galra greeting, which earned him a smile. “Good to see you’ve recovered, Takashi.”

 

“I’m doing much better,” Shiro responded. “I feel like I should introduce myself but I guess we’ve technically met.” From behind Lourdes, he could see Su nudging Rivali toward the kitchen table.

 

“Rivali,” Shiro greeted with a curt nod. His former mentor looked different, devoid of his typical cockiness. The past year had clearly aged him.

 

“I still can’t believe it,” Rivali whispered.

 

“That it wasn’t pilot error?” Shiro muttered as he sat back down.

 

Regret flashed through Rivali’s eyes and then he slumped into the chair beside Shiro. “I’m so sorry,” he said, voice trembling.

 

Shiro sighed. “Look, I’ve been through way worse than any petty crap from the Garrison so let’s just—”

 

“Please tell me,” Rivali interrupted.

 

“Tell you what?”

 

“I have to know what happened.” Rivali kept his eyes fixed on the table, desperately trying to not look at Shiro’s scars.

 

“It’s not going to help anyth—”

 

“I have to know. That should’ve been me. I mean, you deserved the position and all but not...” At a loss for words, he gestured at Shiro’s arm.

 

Shiro had thought about that scenario so many times while he waited in his cell to be summoned for his next fight—at least before his memories began slipping through his grasp. What if he’d let the man before him take the Kerberos mission? Would Rivali have lasted in the arena? Did he have a survival instinct that would earn him the infamous title of Champion? And had he survived, would he have been able to lead Voltron? Shiro was at least sure of the last question—not in a million lifetimes or alternate realities. Shiro shook a mental fist that an irritating  _ Slav-ism _ had weaseled its way into his vocabulary.

 

“I appreciate the apology but everything happened this way for a reason,” Shiro continued. “If you need to know the basics, I was forced to fight in a gladiator area for entertainment. I lost my hand in a fight and the experimentation started from there. The Galra even experiment on their own officers to hone their bodies into formidable weapons. The robotic sentries, drones, and ion cannons apparently aren’t enough.” Shiro suppressed a shudder as Haggar’s words suddenly echoed in his mind.  _ You could’ve been our greatest weapon. _

 

“Victory or death,” Gwansun quoted. “There’s zero tolerance for weakness.”

 

“We can’t go back and change anything. And despite all I’ve seen and everything I now know, I wouldn’t  _ want _ to change anything. My role is crucial in this war and the Black Lion chose  _ me _ . It hasn’t been easy, but this is my purpose.” As Shiro spoke, he watched his friends’ faces transition from wide-eyed fear to inspired nods of determination. Even though Shiro had a team out in space, he had another team on Earth. 

 

“Besides, Rivali,” Shiro added with a smirk. “Keith thinks you would’ve made a shitty Black Paladin. His words… not mine.”

 

Rivali grunted and nodded his head.

 

“How is Keith, by the way?” Gwansun asked.

 

“He’s doing well. Or  _ was  _ well last time I saw him. I’m not sure how he feels now that he thinks I’m dead a second time around.”

 

Pain marred Gwansun’s beautiful features. Keith’s features. “Rest assured, we understand the urgency in getting you back. Tell me… does he still have his blade?”

 

Shiro smiled and met Gwansun’s gaze. “He knows.”

 

Gwansun’s eyes widened with surprise. “He knows that he’s Galra? How did he find out?”

 

“He awakened his blade during the Trials of Marmora.”

 

“He went through the Trials of Marmora?!” Gwansun’s voice rose to a panicked shout.

 

“What a little badass,” Su finally spoke, breaking her usual indifference with a smirk.

 

“Kolivan personally oversaw his trial. He took a beating, but he’s resourceful and getting better at strategizing and thinking outside of the box,” Shiro explained.

 

“You guys have been in contact with Kolivan? Like,  _ the  _ Kolivan?” Elise asked. “He’s head of the Blades!”

 

“We’ve formed an alliance with the Blade of Marmora and worked together to attack Zarkon’s central command. I’m not sure if we were successful. I could’ve sworn Voltron’s sword penetrated his armor… Everything’s so fuzzy and it was such a strange feeling. Almost like an out-of-body experience and after that… Gwansun, you said that realm I was trapped in was constructed by the Galra. Did you figure out who was controlling it?”

 

“No. It was a strange energy. I think it was his witch.”

 

Shiro nodded in agreement. “Haggar. She’s the one who kept experimenting with my arm. I don’t think Zarkon would be this powerful without her.”

 

“You think she’s the key to bringing him down?”

 

“Her intelligence and magic have always been behind everything he does. All the beasts we fought, Zarkon’s mechsuit armor, the komar...”

 

“Oh my god, wait. The komar?” Elise interjected. “That’s actually a thing they were able to pull off?”

 

“How do you know all this stuff?” Shiro asked.

 

“Elise is one of our Knowledge Holders,” Gwansun explained. “The more intellectually capable of the Marmora on Earth are chosen to learn all there is to know about our history and the intel that we intermittently receive from the Blades.”

 

Shiro struggled not to raise an eyebrow. “Don’t look surprised…” Rivali warned under his breath.

 

“Fuck you, Lexi,” Elise spat. 

 

“If I had a dollar for every time I heard you say that…” Rivali stood and walked away from the table to avoid yet another argument with Elise.

 

“So… Kolivan and komar aren’t the same thing? I’m lost,” Woolf admitted.

 

“Kolivan is a name. The komar is a machine that extracts quintessence using dark magic. But we just thought it was a rumor,” Elise started.

 

“Oh, they were successful. It’s supposedly powerful enough to drain entire planets with one shot,” Shiro elaborated.

 

“Entire planets?!” Moore squeaked. “Something tells me a particle barrier won’t stand up to something that sucks the entire lifeforce out of a planet.”

 

“The particle barrier might be able to withstand a few shots,” Shiro speculated.

 

Moore threw up his hands in frustration. “Oh, great. We’ve been working on something that will buy us an extra three minutes.”

 

“The particle barrier is very powerful. But it can only take so many hits and I’m not sure how the komar’s energy interacts with it. Voltron got hit by it without any defense and we survived but it sapped Voltron’s functionality.” 

 

Celine tried to calm Moore. “We’ve learned more by working on this thing in the past week than we have in a long time. This technology is better than any of the other shit we’ve got at the Garrison right now.”

 

“So, Elise, you said that you’re in contact with the Blade of Marmora? Can we contact Voltron through them?” Shiro asked.

 

“It’s not that simple. There are a few teleport hubs on this continent, we receive information at scheduled intervals, and it’s usually only updates that pertain to our sector. We’re not exactly top of mind for them even though Gwansun descends from a significant bloodline within the Marmora. Memorizing specs for some of the Galra weaponry and communications technology is part of my training but it’s gotta be dated.”

 

“Well, why don’t you two compare notes,” Lourdes suggested. “Let’s go through all the information we have and compare it to what Shiro has seen in action.”

 

“That’ll be a good starting point,” Moore agreed. “If you don’t mind coming to the Garrison, you can see the lab where we’re working on the particle barrier and starting to analyze the materials from the ship you crash landed back in May. There’s also some interesting features on your armor that we can’t get to function. But maybe you’ll be able to get some of that working. Maybe even get the comm system going.”

 

“As long as you’re up for it,” Gwansun added. “We understand if you need more recovery time.”

 

“No, this is important, let’s get started. I just need to shower.”

 

Moore stood from the table. “OK. I’ll get everything set up. You can ride with Medina. I’ll meet everyone there.”

 

“I’ll go as long as I don’t have to wear that god-awful outfit,” Elise said.

 

Rivali rolled his eyes. “Technically you’re a consultant so you need to wear it. And it’s a uniform. Not an ‘outfit’.”

 

“It is the the ugliest shade of orange and the fit is  _ very _ unflattering,” Elise retorted. “And you make all the cadets wear it. I’m thirty-seven and I’m wearing the same thing as a bunch of fifteen-year-old students.”

 

“It’s not a fucking fashion show. It’s a meeting. You’re wearing the goddamn uniform.”

 

“Can I at least wear a different belt?”

 

“What the—No!! Get over it!”

 

“Do you have an orange outfit for Takashi?” Elise challenged with a smug grin. 

 

“He’s…” Rivali’s shoulders slumped in defeat; the odds of the Garrison having a spare officer’s uniform big enough for Shiro’s bulky frame and robotic prosthesis were highly unlikely. “Fine. No uniforms.”

 

Shiro finished his food and grabbed a jar of peanut butter for the road as the crew mobilized. “The Garrison still keeps spoons in the officers’ lounge, right?”

 

His friends stared back blankly, stunned by his voracious appetite.

 

“Uh… yeah. There’s spoons in the lounge,” Medina responded. “We should probably go grocery shopping later. You can stock up on grass-fed beef and spirulina powder and all that annoying healthy shit you used to eat.”

 

_ That would be nice but… _ “Actually, can we get pizza later?” Shiro asked.

 

Medina laughed. “We can get whatever the hell you want. Now get your ass in the shower so we can go. I’ll pack some snacks for you.”

 

Rivali threw on his leather jacket and pulled Moore aside. “Should we set up a conference call with the International Kerberos Committee?”

 

“I don’t know…” Moore turned to Shiro. “We’re collaborating with a few space agencies from around the world to investigate Kerberos, sort through all of the Garrison’s intel they’ve been hiding, and build our defenses. I think it would be important for you to debrief the entire committee, that is, if you’re comfortable with everyone knowing about you.”

 

“Who knows that I’m on Earth?”

 

“Handful of medtechs. Sergeant Harper. Your status is classified right now and it can stay that way but it would expand to more people knowing that you’re here if we involve the investigatory team.”

 

“It’s up to you, Shiro,” Erikson added. “We haven’t contacted your family, either.”

 

_ Okasan. Aunt Miyako. Ana.  _ From his family’s perspective, he had died, come back from the dead, and then disappeared again. And without knowing how the last battle had turned out, Shiro wasn’t sure that he was optimistic about his future. “I’d rather stay missing for now.”

 

“Are you sure, Takashi?” Gwansun questioned.

 

“Shiro, I agree that publicizing your presence on Earth should definitely be planned out and I’m happy to assist Sergeant Harper in figuring out the best approach. But your family could help convince any last people that still think this is a conspiracy,” Erikson added. “The more people know, the more help we’re going to have when the time comes.”

 

“I’ll think about it. Let’s revisit this in a week or two. My involvement at the Garrison should be limited to only key officers in the meantime while we figure out what we’re working with. Elise, are there more Knowledge Holders that we can talk to?”

 

“What? You don’t like me?” Elise asked defensively.

 

“You’re lovely. I’m thinking we’ll need help with the galra tech and translating all the code stored in my arm.”

 

Easily placated, Elise smiled and replied. “A few have been involved remotely. But now that things are changing, I’m sure they’d be willing to travel here.”

 

“Good. Contact them. We’re all going to need to put our heads together, there’s a lot of work to be done. This is the fight of our lives.” Something in Shiro’s voice reverberated in his chest and rang out in the room, something confident, something inspiring. He sounded like the leader he’d once been; like the leader he was born to be.

 

Medina whooped and then fist bumped Shiro. “Shiro’s back! Let’s do this!”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Shiro sleeping at the beginning was very much inspired by [this post](http://flashedarrow.tumblr.com/post/175254608733/episode-1-of-season-7-could-literally-be-20) by @kittymills / @flashedarrow because Shiro just needs to sleep, guys.
> 
> Thank you [avidbeader](http://archiveofourown.org/users/avidbeader) for beta reading for keeping me in check and providing such helpful feedback. I would crawl under a table and never post anything if i couldn’t rely on you. (By the way, can you proofread some of my work emails? I’m kidding! Unless you really want to...)


	3. It's good to be back- Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long-awaited reunion uncovers a startling revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! THE END!! Or Part 1 of the end. I tried getting this out before Season 8 dropped but I’m glad I didn’t so that everyone can have the happy ending I’d envisioned. I hope it takes a little of the pain away.

Shiro picked the rice from his stir-fried broccoli while Moore presented the results of the most recent fighter agility test. 

 

“...And they broke the  Kármán line safely at a record angle. This agility is going to be paramount in evasive maneuvering and quickly transitioning in and out of the atmosphere.”

 

“Great,” Shiro said. “Celine, how are the ships holding up?”

 

“This round of prototypes is definitely faring better. The synthetic crystals are finally staying in place, no damage to the thermal protection panels across the entire fleet… well, except for—” Celine shot a side glare at Rivali.

 

Rivali shrugged defensively. “What?”

 

“You fly them too hard,” Celine criticized.

 

“What the— How the hell do you think our pilots are going to fly when they’re being shot at by purple aliens? Let’s be realistic. I thought you were going to be one of the cool mechanics, Celine.”

 

“None of the other mechanics want to touch your fucked-up plane after each trial run! I’m the one stuck replacing the panels every damn time!”

 

“Rivali has a point, though,” Shiro interjected. “The pilots are going to fly differently under pressure.”

 

Celine huffed an annoyed groan. “I know… I know.”

 

“Well, if that’s the case then we still need to work on the panels,” Moore said, adding to the to-do list on his tablet. “I’ll touch base with the Knowledge Holders to see if we can tinker with reinforcing the composite tiles.”

 

Shiro nodded. “And how’s training going?”

 

“Eh… It’s going,” Medina replied.

 

“Our pilots are too timid,” Rivali commented.

 

“They’re not prepared,” Medina countered. “I don’t think the simulation is matching what it feels like to actually fly the fighter. We’ve got great sim scores now, but they’re still having a hard time in the air.”

 

“What about our international groups?” Shiro asked.

 

“Same,” Medina answered. “China might be doing a little better. But the consensus is that the sims are significantly different.”

 

Shiro turned back to Celine. “Can you convince that boyfriend of yours to lay off the daytime dramas and help us? He’d be great at tweaking the simulators. And we could use more trainers to oversee the pilots. Or, hell, he can pilot while he’s at it. He can take a fighter out and I’ll run the simulation at the same time so we can compare notes on how to tweak it for better training. I know he misses flying.”

 

Celine snorted. “I can try. Again.”

 

“Try harder,” Rivali griped. “We need one more leadership position filled before I can leave like I’d planned six months ago.”

 

“You’re going to be so bored when you leave,” Celine responded.

 

“Yeah, your future has ‘Pilot for a Mediocre Regional Budget Airline’ written all over it,” Medina needled Rivali.

 

Shiro tried not to laugh with the others as he ended the status meeting. “OK. Good work, everyone. I’ll get our report out to the heads tomorrow morning.” As the group filed out of the boardroom, Shiro rubbed his eyes, willing himself to shake the fatigue from months of late nights at the Garrison. He leaned back in his chair to stretch and gazed out the window. The desert was still barren as it slowly recovered from winter, reminding Shiro of the planet he and Keith had been stranded on. He looked above the horizon and spotted Venus struggling to pierce the cloudy evening haze.  _ I wonder where he is right now. _

 

“You OK?” Erikson asked, entering the room accompanied by the current press secretary, Sergeant Harper. “We can review the questions tomorrow before the interview if you need a night off.”

 

Shiro shook his head even though his body screamed for sleep. “No, this is important. And my mom’s so excited to see me on T.V. again. I should be prepared.”

 

“OK, just let us know if you need a break. I strolled through the hangar on my way in, the new fighters look pretty slick. Everyone’s work is really paying off.”

 

“Yeah, we’re getting there,” Shiro responded, still distracted by his thoughts.

 

“Look, I know you want to get back to Voltron and do bigger things and be with Keith but… It’s good to have you back. We couldn’t have done any of this without you.”

 

Shiro smiled, a little of his weariness melting away. “Thanks, Erikson.”

 

“Of course. Now, let’s get you to the studio for a practice run. If you don’t mind, we’ll have to stop off at my apartment on the way. Jules is in LA and I haven’t been home all day so I need to let Lucy out.”

 

“Aw, Lucy! I can’t wait to see her. I’m sure she’s getting big.”

 

“She’s getting  _ round _ . Jules spoils the shit out of her.”

 

“I can start running to your place in the mornings and take her with me,” Shiro offered. “I need to switch up my route anyway.”

 

“Thanks, Shiro, for making me feel lazy with your generosity,” Erikson joked.

 

“You’re lazy if you don’t take the extra steps to apply to Stanford Law like Jules and I told you to.”

 

Erikson groaned. “I just… It’s too— Have you seen that application? They’d never consider me in a million years. It would just be a waste of time and—”

 

Shiro stood from the table, shaking his head. “You’re applying and that’s final. No regrets, Erikson.”

 

The two old friends stared each other down until Erikson conceded. “OK… you’re right.”

 

“You’ll thank me later,” Shiro said, grinning.

 

“But you’re writing a letter of recommendation.”

 

“And walking your dog,” Shiro added.

 

Preceded by a sudden flurry of footsteps from down the hall, Moore dashed back into the room followed by Celine, her phone chiming a notification.

 

“It’s Voltron!”

 

\-----

 

Later that night, Shiro stared blankly at the message Moore had decoded. “That’s it?”

 

“That’s all it is. Just a series of numbers, although the first part of it looks like nearby coordinates,” Moore replied.

 

“That’s the exact location of the teleport hub,” Elise said, peering over the rims of her sunglasses and taking a momentary break from the dating app on her phone to inspect the numbers on Moore’s tablet.

 

Moore nodded and began unfolding his worn topographical map for confirmation. “Yeah, actually. That sounds about right.”

 

“Uh, hello? Knowledge Holder! I know it’s right!” she snapped.

 

“What about the rest of the numbers?” Shiro asked, wanting more from the message. Any indication that Keith and the others were safe, that they’d received the message and were on their way to retrieve him.

 

Elise yanked Moore’s tablet away from him. “This is the standard code we use for message delivery. It’s based on a universal calendar the Blade developed for communication which is technically built around Altean measurements of time since it’s more widely used. The messengers usually just hand us a document with the code for the next scheduled message.” 

 

Moore drummed his fingers on the table waiting for more relevant details. “So…”

 

“They’ll be here in five days.”

 

“Who? How many people?” Shiro asked.

 

“A three-person unit is the max that shack can handle,” Elise replied. “And that’s if they’re Galra.”

 

Shiro tried to hide his disappointment. “So, just the Blade of Marmora is coming? You don’t think they’d help my team teleport?”

 

“Humans clearly can’t handle it. Loss of consciousness aside, it took you a while to recover. They can’t risk all of Voltron being out of commission.”

 

“Voltron’s  _ been _ out of commission. They can’t form Voltron with only four people…” Shiro’s eyes shifted back and forth, considering the possibilities. With Keith leading and piloting Black, had they found another team member? Regardless, Shiro knew Keith. He was reckless at times because he led with his heart. He’d come for Shiro even if it meant that Voltron would be short another member. “Don’t forget, Keith’s Galra, too. He’s coming. I know it.”

 

\-----

 

The near-freezing night chilled the metal panels lining the shack’s cellar while the group waited; shallow, expectant breaths formed individual clouds that disappeared into the violet glow emanating from the quantum hard drive towers.

 

“You guys never thought about heating this room?” Medina complained. “Like all this technology and power and shit? ‘We can teleport people. But heat? Na, we’re good.’ Are you guys cold-blooded?”

 

“Medina…” Gwansun warned from her cross-legged position at the head of the platform on which Shiro had appeared months earlier. Her eyes fluttered closed and she refocused her breath. The group fell back into shivering silence. 

 

Elise was the next to break it as she impatiently swiped away at her phone. “Hey, Takashi?”

 

“Yeah?” Shiro whispered, hoping not to disturb Gwansun’s concentration and simultaneously wondering how Elise saw so well in the dim light with sunglasses on.

 

“What do you think of this guy?” She held her phone out for Shiro to offer his opinion on Paul, 42, Senior Portfolio Manager for J. Whitman Hedge Fund, from Syosset, NY, eliciting a collective groan from the entire group.

 

“Uh, he looks nice…” Shiro politely offered while Su shook her head. 

 

“No hedge fund guys,” she mandated.

 

“But they make a lot of money,” Elise protested.

 

“No.”

 

“But you didn’t even look at his picture.”

 

“I don’t have to.”

 

“Goddammit, Su! You’re right.”

 

“Everyone, quiet!” Gwansun’s snarl ricocheted off of the metal walls. “They’re coming. The energy just shifted.” And as she spoke, the purple lights from the towers gleamed brighter and then began to pool and snake along the floor toward her.

 

The air suddenly felt electric and an invisible weight pressed down on the room until the ground quaked and the lights went dark. A violet glow began pulsing from Gwansun’s palms, cutting through the darkness and for a brief moment, Shiro could feel his heart beat in time with the light. Gwansun held up her hands and steadied the light, permitting three figures to shimmer into place, standing on the platform. 

 

Shiro felt the others stiffen at the sight of the silhouettes materializing from thin air. Shrouded by hoods and blades strapped to their backs, the violet symbols on their uniforms flickered to life; glowing dots appeared on the figures’ otherwise featureless faces.

 

Once the Blades had solidified, Gwansun rose and joined Elise, Lourdes, and Su, bowing their heads, holding their right forearms over their chests in a Galra salute.

 

Despite the expressionless holomasks, the purple eye-like lights all trained on Shiro. “What are you doing here?” the figure on the left demanded. The deep, distorted voice and the uniform signifying a higher rank triggered Shiro’s memories. 

 

“Kolivan!”

 

The figure stilled.

 

“Kolivan, sir,” Gwansun began. “It is an honor to—”

 

The figure held up a large gloved hand to request silence while the one on the right, leaner but still quite tall, looked around the room, clearly scanning for threats. “I told you this was a trap,” she muttered to Kolivan, hand twitching for her blade.

 

The third figure, a significantly smaller and lithe frame, pushed from behind the other two. “Kolivan, how is this possible?!” a distorted voice rasped.  

 

Shiro instinctively stepped forward, the voice calling to his heart, his soul. “Keith!”

 

All three figures unsheathed their blades before Shiro could get any closer.

 

“No! Please, this is not necessary!” Gwansun shouted while Su and Lourdes readied their blades as well.

 

“How is this possible?” the smallest Blade repeated, pointing his knife at Shiro. “Is this another one of those stupid alternate realities? Who are you?”

 

“Keith, it’s me,” Shiro said, slowly raising his hands, heart thudding against his ribs. Did Keith not recognize him? “I’ve been here for six months. Ever since our fight with Zarkon.”

 

“But after that fight you…” The bite in the Blade’s voice trailed off with uncertainty.

 

“I woke up here. On Earth.” Shiro completed the sentence softly, hoping to quell the fire in the Blade’s questions. Maybe he’d gotten through, because the third figure lowered his knife. The holo mask vanished and Shiro was face to face with the boy he dreamt of every night. The stunning eyes that stole his breath away and the raven locks that threatened to hide their beauty from the universe.

 

Keith’s intense eyes met Shiro’s as they both searched for answers. Shiro would’ve let himself get lost in their beauty if it wasn’t for the turmoil that swirled inside of them.  _ What was Keith fighting? What was he so unsure about?  _ Keith’s gaze then darted around the room, taking in the other familiar faces in their presence. His bottom lip quivered. “Shiro?”

 

“Yeah, it’s me, Keith,” Shiro whispered. “Are you OK? What’s going on?”

 

Tears began to well up in Keith’s eyes as he reached hesitant fingertips to touch Shiro’s cheek, his lips, his scar. Shiro couldn’t help but tear up as well and had to resist the urge to wrap Keith tightly in his arms and kiss away whatever was causing him so much pain.

 

“It’s you. It’s really you,” Keith exhaled before crumpling into Shiro’s chest and sobbing. “How did this happen?”

 

“I don’t understand,” Shiro replied, gathering Keith close, taking deep, almost greedy breaths of his hair to convince himself that this was real. But something was severely wrong. He tamped down the elation swelling in his chest and instead, tried to offer a steadying breath and a grounding presence for the boy in his arms.

 

Kolivan disengaged his holo mask. “How did you get here?”

 

“I teleported him,” Gwansun announced, her steady, assured voice attempting to hide the emotion in her eyes.

 

Kolivan turned and stooped down to study Keith’s mother. 

 

“He wouldn’t have survived the fight had I not intervened,” she added.

 

“How did you know to intervene? And from across the universe?”

 

“I could see the fight. The universe was calling on me.”

 

“The only Galra that have that power… The Akira bloodline has survived on Earth all these years?” Kolivan asked in disbelief, clearly recognizing her abilities as well as something distinctive in her eyes.

 

“Barely. But yes.”

 

“Clearly you don’t read our status reports,” Elise griped under her breath before Su elbowed her in the ribs.

 

“And you still have your family’s blade?” Kolivan questioned.

 

Gwansun stole a glance at Keith who was watching the exchange through tear-soaked lashes. “I gave it to my son.” Shiro felt Keith stiffen under his embrace.

 

Kolivan paused a moment and then looked back at Keith. “How did I not see this before?” he wondered to himself. 

 

“Mom?”

 

Gwansun took a cautious step toward Keith and Shiro. “Hello, my love.”

 

“Love? You barely know me.” Keith's voice was sharp and bitter.

 

“I’m so sorry,” she said, voice shaking. “I had to leave to keep you safe. Please forgive me—”

 

“Reunions later,” the third blade, Ilun, interjected. “If this is the Black Paladin of Voltron, then who is on the ship? How do we know that this man is who he says he is?”

 

“I’m lost, why are you guys questioning who I am?” Shiro asked.

 

Keith took a deep breath and took Shiro’s hand. “I found you three phoebs— months ago.”

 

“What?”

 

“You’ve been flying the Black Lion while I’ve been training with the Blade.”

 

“How—” Shiro’s mind reeled and his stomach threatened to purge its contents. Now he understood Keith’s reaction. And all the questions started to make sense.

 

“The Black Lion wouldn’t have bonded with an impostor,” Kolivan reasoned. “Keith, step away.”

 

Keith shook his head. “No… this is Shiro.”

 

Kolivan gritted his teeth. “Shiro is on the Castle of Lions where we left him! Keith, step away from Shiro. Or...  _ that  _ Shiro— That… man. That’s an order!”

 

Kolivan’s words echoed around Shiro and an inkling of uncertainty began to take hold. It was quickly chased away, however, as Keith’s grip tightened around his hand. “No!  _ This _ is the real Shiro!” Keith repeated.

 

“How can you be so sure?”

 

Keith’s eyes darted around the room again. To Erikson. To Moore. To Celine. To Woolf. To Medina. And back to Shiro. Keith’s eyes softened and then glimmered with more tears. “I just feel it.”

 

Ilun scoffed. “Your Earthling blood makes you weak. We cannot act based off a  _ feeling _ .”

 

“Um… If I may… Kolivan, sir. If it’s OK that I call you that,” Moore interrupted. “If you, uh, read our message, which I completely understand if you didn’t have time, it sounds like you’re very busy, we’ve discovered a few clones that were planted in our ranks, in very influential and critical positions. It seems that Zarkon’s people have that capability. Maybe they sent a clone to you as a diversion? Or to… infiltrate and compromise Voltron?”

 

Ilun’s yellow glare narrowed and in the blink of an eye, her blade was aimed at Moore’s chest. “You think we are so easily fooled? That a Lion of Voltron would not recognize its very own paladin? You know nothing.”

 

Lourdes dashed in front of the blade and deflected it with her own. “Don’t threaten him!” she spat.

 

“Uh, thanks, Lourdes,” Moore muttered and Shiro thought he saw a red flush pass over Moore’s cheeks.

 

“Ilun! Stand down,” Kolivan barked.

 

The blade sneered but obeyed. “Weak.” She turned and impatiently paced behind Kolivan.

 

“Look, I just know, OK?” Keith yelled. “His eyes… his voice, everything… It  _ feels _ like him. Whoever is on that ship is not Shiro. That’s why we’ve been clashing so much! I don’t know how to explain it but but he’s been off since he came back. Deep down, he doesn’t feel like Shiro. I  _ know _ Shiro and I’ve known him longer than either of you!”

 

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” Kolivan questioned.

 

“I just thought it was more trauma that he was recovering from! I tried to help him—” Keith swallowed. “But he kept pushing me away. I… I thought he didn’t love me anymore and it was easier to just focus on training with the Blade than to be around him...” Trying to hide the guilt on his face, Keith wiped his tears. “I’m so sorry, Shiro. I should’ve trusted my gut.”

 

Shiro couldn’t bear the thought of Keith at war with his heart, thinking that he was no longer loved. He reached to gently cradle Keith’s head with both hands, catching a teardrop with his thumb. “Don’t apologize. I wish I could have been there with you.”  _ Is that what you say when you find out your doppelganger is pretending to be you? _

 

“Maybe it’s some sort of anomaly,” Ilun reasoned. “Could there be a space-time aberration where he’s existing in two places at once?” 

 

“Anything is possible, I suppose,” Kolivan sighed, massaging his temple, probably to keep a massive headache at bay.

 

“You have to believe me,” Keith pleaded as his comm system suddenly crackled to life and a voice came through. 

 

“Keith? Kolivan? Did you guys make it?”

 

“Yeah, Pidge, we’re fine,” Keith spoke into his suit. “Hey, is… is Shiro there?”

 

“Yeah, he’s just preparing to meet with Lotor. Do you need me to get him?” Pidge replied. 

 

Shiro felt ice crawl up his spine. _ Existing in two places at once? How did this happen? And who the hell is Lotor? _

 

“No, just… Just wondering. He doesn’t know, right?”

 

“No. He thinks you’ve gone on another training mission.”

 

“OK. There’s something we’re going to need to investigate here. But for now, not a word to the others. Not until we gather more intel.”

 

“You got it. You still have the message I recorded for my mom? She needs to know my dad and Matt are OK.”

 

Shiro almost jumped.  _ The Holts? They’re OK! _

 

“Yeah, I’ll pass it along if it’s safe.”

 

“Thanks, Keith.” The comm speaker fell silent.

 

“You found Matt? And Commander Holt?!” Shiro blurted. “That’s amazing! I’m so glad they’re both safe!”

 

Keith’s eyes went wide at Shiro’s reaction, realizing how much he’d missed. “Yeah, Pidge found Matt. He’s been a part of a growing rebel army. And the team rescued Sam. You— that guy, or whatever, definitely remembered the Holts, but wasn’t that animated about reuniting with them. I wasn’t there, but Pidge said he seemed stiff when she came back with Matt, especially considering the sacrifice you made in the arena to keep him safe. I wonder if he has all of your memories or just... some.”

 

Shiro wondered, did they share the exact same memories? And were the memories just as vivid? Were they like twins where slight genetic variations caused them to interact differently with the present while they carved independent futures? “So… what should we do?” Shiro asked.

 

Kolivan folded his arms behind his back and paced the small room in thought. “If the other man is indeed a clone, we need to figure out who sent him and why. If he’s collecting information, then what exactly is he looking for? We need to tread carefully; we don’t know what he’s programmed to do when under pressure.”

 

Shiro’s shoulders sank with realization. “I’m not going to be able to return to Voltron, am I?”

 

Kolivan shook his head. “Not yet. We will confront when the time is right. Until then, we will operate as usual as to not draw any suspicions.”

 

“I can’t believe you’ve been here this whole time. I wish we’d received your message sooner,” Keith whispered into Shiro’s chest while blinking the last of his tears away. 

 

“It’s not your fault, Keith,” Shiro consoled, carding his fingers through Keith’s hair, noting how much longer it had grown. “We’ll figure this out.”

 

“Sorry my satellite sucks,” Celine offered.

 

Keith unburied himself from Shiro’s bulk and smiled at his old friend. “You built a satellite that could reach us? I was wondering how you guys sent those messages.”

 

“Yeah, but we should’ve reached you sooner!”

 

“Darling, there’s nothing wrong with your satellite,” Woolf reassured, threading an arm around her waist.

 

“I thought you were dating the other Woolf brother,” Keith questioned in a low voice.

 

Shiro chuckled, having asked the same exact question. “She upgraded.”

 

“That’s… interesting. What else have you guys been up to?”

 

“Well, if the three of you can stay for a while, we can bring you up to speed,” Gwansun proposed. Shiro watched Keith’s expression quickly morph from hopeful to uncertain as he considered spending more time with Shiro versus getting to know his mother.

 

“We could show you the information we’ve gathered from the clones we discovered. And we could also use your expertise with streamlining the Galra tech that we’re applying to a new fighter jet fleet,” Moore proposed.

 

“And building a faster communication system!” Celine added.

 

Everyone looked at Kolivan eagerly as he weighed his options. “We need to get back. But... I suppose a quintant or two of knowledge transfer couldn’t hurt.”

 

Moore quietly celebrated with a fist pump. “Knowledge transfer! Awesome! What’s a quintant?” 

 

Shiro smiled and looked down at Keith. “I’ve been crashing at Medina’s. Wanna have a sleepover?” he whispered.

 

“Oh my god, more than anything.” Keith threw his arms around Shiro once again and squeezed. Since when did his boyfriend have the strength to crush all of the air from his lungs? 

 

Celine piled on next, followed by the rest of the group. 

 

“Shit, I missed you guys!” Keith strained to speak in between the bodies. Once released, he turned and slugged Moore on the shoulder. “I knew you wouldn’t stand by quietly when Shiro came back.”

 

“Dude, fuck the Garrison,” Moore replied, rubbing at his arm. “Although, I’m working there again, so… Trying to make it a more respectable organization.” 

 

Keith then glanced up at Erikson and smiled. The last time they’d seen each other had been the day of the Kerberos team’s memorial service. “Hey, Rookie,” Erikson said fondly.

 

After Erikson and Keith had embraced, Keith whirled around and narrowed his eyes at Woolf. “Have you met her parents?” he questioned.

 

“Yeah, I have,” Woolf replied, suddenly looking nervous.

 

“My mom and dad really like him,” Celine added. “Especially my mom.”

 

Keith’s eyes narrowed even more. “If you ever hurt her, I will hyperdrive back to Earth and gut you with my blade.”

 

“O...kay…”

 

Keith then dropped his serious scowl and hugged Woolf. “I always liked you better than your brother anyway.”

 

Woolf let out a small breath of relief. “Thanks, Prodigy. I’ll take care of her. Even though she usually doesn’t need it.”

 

After Keith had been greeted by old friends, he was introduced to three new ones with violet eyes very much like his own. Lourdes congratulated him on passing the Trials of Marmora and Elise claimed that she’d seen many embarrassing baby pictures. Su was the last to meet Keith. She shook his hand firmly and leaned in to whisper, “Give her a chance.”

 

As Su backed away, Gwansun stepped forward and Shiro felt Keith’s walls come up once more. “I understand your anger, Keith. I know I can never fully make up for what you’ve been through, but if you could listen to my side and learn what the Garrison was doing to our people, maybe you will understand why I left. Maybe it will hurt a little less, knowing that I did it out of love.” She took another step closer and wrapped her hands around his. “Will you grant me that?”

 

Erikson circled from behind the group and threw an arm around Gwansun, like a son about to lovingly hassle his mother. “She’s just as prickly as you are, but I think you guys will get along.” 

 

Shiro echoed the sentiment, placing a hand on Keith’s shoulder and squeezing.

 

Keith furrowed his brow and gave a hesitant nod. “OK.”

 

“All right! Now, can we get the fuck out of here? I’m freezing my ass off!” Medina shouted. “Keith, you hungry? Can we feed your Galra friends hamburgers? I think a drive-through is all that’s going to be open at this hour.”

 

Ilun and Kolivan cocked their heads in what’s-a-hamburger expressions while Keith perked up. “Hell, yeah! I want the greasiest burgers we can find.”

 

“Nothing but the best for you, Keith. Let’s see if you can eat more than your boyfriend did when he came back.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 up in a few days!
> 
> Huge huge huge thank you to [avidbeader](http://archiveofourown.org/users/avidbeader) for helping make my ideas coherent.
> 
>  
> 
> [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/latart) (Yes, I'm still there)  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Latart0903) (No, I don't know what I'm doing)


	4. It's good to be back-Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was what home was supposed to feel like; not a destination that could be located on a star chart, but in the arms of the person he would move galaxies to be with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone notice that the rating got bumped up? You can thank [avidbeader](http://archiveofourown.org/users/avidbeader) for encouraging me to write the scene that made this go from Teen to Mature.

“You sure you can handle coming with us?” Keith teased.

 

“I’m not  _ that _ old, you little brat,” Gwansun shot back as she laced up her boots.

 

Keith ran a hesitant finger over the emblem on his blade and then held it out. “You should carry this,” he offered.

 

Gwansun smiled proudly. “It’s yours. I’m just coming to help with diplomacy. It’s a big empire to unite.”

 

“Yeah… that’s another thing,” Keith started.

 

“Don’t be nervous. You have a lot to learn, but I’m sure Princess Allura will be able to give you pointers, Kolivan and his generals will be your advisors, and you will have the support of the Voltron coalition behind you.” She looked Keith square in the eye and held both of his shoulders firmly. “When all of this is over, you are the leader this empire is going to need. This is our bloodline. And this is your destiny. But you won’t have to do it alone.”

 

Nearby, Kolivan finished reviewing the improvements on the synthetic crystals with Celine, Elise, and Moore. “They won’t be able to go into hyperdrive for long, but it’ll help. I’m impressed with the fleet you’ve developed in such short time, especially considering the incredibly primitive models before this.”

 

“Thank you, sir,” Moore replied, ignoring Kolivan’s jab at the Garrison’s previous technology.

 

“It’s good to know we now have a well-equipped ally in this sector.” Kolivan then handed Moore a communication device. “We’ll be in in contact. And we’ll ensure that Voltron sends additional specs with Commander Holt when he returns. You still need work on your defense systems.” 

 

Moore nodded and stole a sad glance in Lourdes’ direction. “Woolf will be escorting you back to the teleport hub. Thank you for all your help.” Kolivan grasped Moore’s forearm to bid him farewell and then turned to gather his Blades.

 

In an uncharacteristic show of emotion, Su threw her arms around Elise. “I’ll miss you.”

 

“Aw, Su. I’ll miss you, too,” Elise cried.

 

“Behave yourself. And don’t waste your time with anyone I wouldn’t approve of,” Su ordered.

 

“I can’t make any promises. You know me.”

 

Lourdes said her goodbyes to Elise as well and then turned to Moore. “Thank you for bringing us together and inspiring us to fight. You should come out when you’ve got some down time.”

 

“You mean, like, to… to outer space, like  _ outer  _ outer space?” Moore stammered. 

 

“Depending on where we are, definitely another galaxy. Probably another sector.”

 

“For an intel meeting? Or…”

 

Lourdes grinned. “Maybe like a date.”

 

“A… A date? An outer space date? Really? I— I would like that. Yeah just, um, I guess, let me know. Keep me posted, whenever you guys are settled and… have time,” Moore rambled. “Is there anything to eat other than food goo?”

 

“We’ll figure it out. Take care of yourself,” Lourdes said before giving Moore a tiny peck on the cheek. 

 

“OK…” Moore replied in a daze while Medina snuck behind him. After he recovered, Moore spun around. “What are you doing? Are you fucking with me?”

 

Medina laughed. “I was gonna catch you. You looked like you were close to swooning.”

 

“Fuck you,” Moore spat, turning red.

 

“Vehicles are ready,” Woolf announced as he jogged into the room. The group followed Woolf into the hangar where two Garrison JLTVs waited to transfer the Blades to the teleport hub. 

 

“You sure you’re not going with them?” Rivali asked Elise.

 

“Yeah, I need to get back to the city. Space isn’t my thing.”

 

“Su said you’d want a ride?”

 

“Maybe. I’ll book a flight tonight and let you know.”

 

“Oh... A ride to the airport. I misunderstood her then. I’m driving back east because I don’t want to trailer my car. I can take you to New York. It’s not too much trouble.”

 

“That’s a lot of fly-over states…” Elise commented, wrinkling her nose. “And I don’t think I can tolerate being around you that long, Lexi.”

 

“Yeah… It’ll be a lot of shitty motels, townie bars, and truck stop bathrooms.”

 

Elise quietly walked alongside Rivali toward the vehicles. “So, Su said that I wanted to drive back home?” 

 

“Uh… yeah, she did.”

 

Elise raised an eyebrow and watched her friend climb into one of the Garrison vehicles. Su looked back and gave Elise a sly grin and a nod. “Of all the fucking people,” Elise muttered under her breath. 

 

Rivali jammed his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “It’s cool if you don’t want to go. It’ll be really boring. But if you want to break up the driving time, we can find weird shit to go make fun of, like the world’s largest ball of twine or some sort of ridiculous cowboy museum. We can heckle some crappy cover bands, get into bar fights.”

 

Elise’s face lit up. “I’ve always wanted to try riding a mechanical bull. And I’ve never eaten at a Waffle House. Can we eat at Waffle House every morning?”

 

“Um, sure… It’s pretty underwhelming, though.”

 

“And we have to get kicked out of at least half the bars we go to.”

 

“Half?”

 

Elise ignored Rivali’s protest and continued to plan for her future hobby of pissing off middle America. “The people-watching is going to be so entertaining. I can blog about this, too. Are there really glory holes at truck stops?”

 

“I don’t know. But I guess we can find out.”

 

Elise clapped with excitement. “Oh my god. I can’t wait.”

 

“Is it too late to change my mind? You’re making me nervous with all this enthusiasm over truck stops.”

 

“Yep, too late. And you should be nervous. You still have to apologize.”

 

“For what—” Rivali stopped short and followed Elise’s gaze to where Keith stood.

 

Resigning to his fate, Rivali sighed and hesitantly strolled over to get an apology off his chest. During the last day-and-a-half of meetings at the Garrison, Keith had pointedly avoided Rivali although he had to have picked up on what Shiro had also noticed upon his return: that the others had been collaborating with him, had forgiven and accepted him. And that was saying something, particularly for Medina.

 

Celine nudged Keith to get his attention and, despite having forgiven Rivali himself, Shiro couldn’t help but place a protective hand on Keith’s shoulder. Keith looked up and reluctantly made eye contact while everyone waited, knowing what needed to be aired out.

 

“Hey, Kogane,” Rivali started, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck. 

 

“Hey.” Keith’s rasp was low and terse.

 

“I...just wanted to say that... I’m sorry.”

 

“Sorry… Fine, OK.” Keith shrugged just to get the conversation over and done with.

 

“Well, it’s not  _ fine _ , but I’m trying to make things right. The Garrison was so ingrained in every single decision I made. It consumed me. I put it before my family. I put it before everything and everyone, no matter who I had to hurt to get ahead. You, Shiro. My own daughter.”

 

Keith listened, eyes focused on the floor, jaw tight while he absorbed the apology. When he remained silent for longer than expected, Gwansun spoke up. “Well, better late than never. You could’ve stayed on the wrong path. Thank you for making the right decision to help us.”

 

“Don’t thank me,” Rivali muttered.  

 

“No. Thanks for the apology,” Keith finally responded. “And thanks for helping my mom escape.” He offered his hand and Rivali accepted it to complete the handshake. “Everyone’s right, though. You’re going to be bored out of your mind back in the ’burbs.”

 

“It’s what I need to do. I need to go learn how to be a good father.”

 

“Terrible timing,” Gwansun teased. “I hear kids her age absolutely hate their parents.”

 

Rivali groaned. “Oh, I know. I embarrass her just by existing. I have my work cut out for me.”

 

“Good luck, then,” Gwansun offered.

 

Celine gave Rivali a satisfied nod before turning to embrace Keith one last time. As she backed away, the JLTV engines started up but Shiro still lingered at Keith’s side, dreading having to say goodbye. At least he knew this would be temporary.

 

Keith checked the pouch on his belt for Colleen Holt’s letters for her family and then grabbed a communication device from Kolivan. He passed it to Shiro with a wink. “Call me.”

 

“Every night. Well, nights for me,” Shiro replied, accepting the device. “With time dilation, I have no idea when that will be for you. But we might be able to get away with some phone sex once in a while.”

 

Keith looked over his shoulder and hissed, “Not in front of my mom!” 

 

“Please pick a different frequency for that and keep the volume down,” Medina teased as he walked over. “I am not waking up to that shit ever again. You hear me?”

 

Gwansun raised an eyebrow. “I don’t want to know.”

 

“Keith, you gonna be able to make it to the wedding next month?” Medina  asked, clapping Keith on the back.

 

Keith nodded. “Should be able to.”

 

“I’ll put you down as Shiro’s plus one.”

 

“OK,” Keith said with a huge grin.

 

“I’ll find a suit for you,” Shiro murmured as he drew Keith in for a final hug. “Red tie or black?”

 

“Red. Black is  _ your _ color,” Keith sniffled. “I’ll miss you.”

 

“I already miss you. I love you so much.” Shiro cupped Keith’s jaw with both hands and tilted his head up to kiss him. No matter how many times he’d daydreamed about kissing Keith, it was nothing compared to the real thing. Warm, natural, and perfect. “Please be safe,” he said, resting his forehead against Keith’s.

 

“We’ll make sure of it,” Lourdes said as she relieved Gwansun of her bag. “The universe is depending on it.”

 

“You’re so fancy with your own bodyguards, now,” Shiro teased.

 

“I can handle myself,” Keith muttered.

 

“You don’t have eyes in the back of your head,” Gwansun countered. “And from what Shiro tells me, you rush into things without thinking them through sometimes.”

 

Keith looked up at Shiro and feigned irritation. “Thanks, Shiro.”

 

“Just doing my job as your boyfriend.”

 

“Stop conspiring with my mom.”

 

Shiro smiled and tucked a particularly unruly lock of Keith’s hair behind his ear. “Never.”

 

Kolivan motioned for Keith and Gwansun to get into their vehicle. Shiro gave Keith’s hand one last squeeze before letting him out of his sight.

 

“We’ll monitor the clone and keep you informed,” Kolivan assured before closing the door.

 

\-----

 

Shiro killed the engine of his hoverbike, leaving the music on. Talking Heads’ “This Must Be The Place” kept him company while he unloaded painting supplies from a bag strapped to the back of the bike. Spending time in the desert helped him collect his thoughts and made him feel closer to Keith and so he’d decided to start fixing up the shack. A month wasn’t enough time to finish all he’d wanted to accomplish while still working at the Garrison, but with Woolf’s help, drywalling over all of the cracks and replacing two of the windows had been a good start. Plus he needed Keith to pick the right shade of red for the accent wall. Shiro couldn’t decide between “Cerise” and “Heartthrob”.

 

After placing the supplies inside the shack, he checked the time and stepped outside. Shielding his eyes, he scanned the sky. Eventually a small Galra pod came into view and Shiro’s heart leaped in anticipation.

 

The pod sped toward the ground and then pulled a flashy roll before landing. “Show off!” Shiro called as the desert sand gusted all around him.

 

Keith emerged from the vessel in his Blade suit and,  _ damn _ , he looked good in all that neoprene. Or whatever the hell the Blades used to make those tight suits. He immediately ran up to the porch and into Shiro’s arms. 

 

Their kiss was the same perfected dance of lips, tongue, and teeth and yet it still elicited a wave of goosebumps up Shiro’s spine and across his shoulders. This was what home was supposed to feel like; not a destination that could be located on a star chart, but in the arms of the person he would move galaxies to be with.

 

Keith noticed the repaired shack as he paused for a breath and craned his neck to peer into the window over Shiro's shoulder. “Have you been fixing up the place?”

 

“Little by little. It’s nice to escape out here for a night. The stars are amazing. I thought I’d get tired of looking at them after traveling in space for so long but… they still take my breath away,” Shiro said, looking into Keith’s eyes. “Kind of like you.”

 

Keith snickered. “Oh my god, Shiro. You’re so cheesy.”

 

“Well, once I get this place done, you’ll always have somewhere to stay when you visit. After you’re done saving the universe.”

 

“After  _ we’re  _ done saving the universe,” Keith corrected. “I’m not saving shit without you.”

 

Shiro nodded, grateful for the reassurance. He still had a part in this war and a place in the stars with Keith. “Right, together. Any more updates?”

 

“It’s been difficult getting any units close enough to the druids for some answers. But the rest of the team knows now. They’ve all noticed off details about the cl— well...  _ him _ . Still not sure what to call him. Lance said he had a little spat with him the other day but he doesn’t seem to be malicious. And Pidge is trying to make sure he’s not around the ship’s computers in case he’s programmed to deliver a virus, but she’s also been working on a countervirus as a backup plan. Kolivan thinks we’ll be able to bring you back soon, we’re not sure if introducing you to the clone will be dangerous or if it’ll help defuse him. We just need a little more time to make sure it’s safe before you take back your rightful place. Back to piloting Black.”

 

“I don’t know that it’s my rightful place. But if that’s what I need to do support my  _ Emperor _ …” 

 

“Don’t remind me.” Keith winced and turned around, still uncomfortable with the idea of being the one to lead the Galra into a peaceful era. “I know you think I’m a good leader but… Voltron’s a little different than an empire that spans multiple quadrants of the universe.”

 

“Keith, no one’s expecting this to happen overnight. It will take time and it won’t be easy. But I know you’ve got it in you. Ancient prophecies and sacred bloodlines aside, your heart is always in the right place. You always try to do the right thing. And I will be beside you every step of the way,” Shiro said, curling his body to envelop his boyfriend from behind.

 

Keith leaned his head back against Shiro’s shoulder and his frown shifted into a small but relieved smile. “Thank you. It feels a little more manageable knowing you’ll be there. Although, maybe Acxa will want to be Empress instead,” he joked.

 

“You remember how happy your mom was when you told her that you guys had already met and helped each other? Maybe she can talk some sense into her and you guys can work together,” Shiro speculated. “You can co-rule.”

 

Keith nodded and sighed. “Maybe. She could do all the traveling while I rule from this tiny-ass shack.”

 

Shiro shrugged. “After everything we’ve seen? You’d be bored in a week. But it could be like a vacation home.” He then looked behind himself at the partially dilapidated building and then around at the desert surrounding them. “It’s not Tahiti but…”

 

Keith reached behind himself and ran his fingers up and down the back of Shiro’s neck, playing with the recently-shaved stubble. “It’s perfect. You think we can cram a king-sized bed in there?”

 

“Oh, I’ll make it fit, one way or the other,” Shiro replied, pressing a kiss to the tempting space below Keith’s earlobe. Keith swiftly twisted in Shiro’s arms and yanked his head down into another kiss, lips hungrily claiming his. Shiro wanted nothing more than to carry Keith into the shack, push him down onto the futon mattress, and show him what he couldn’t quite put into words. But they were short on time. “I left our suits at Medina’s house. I didn’t want them to get dusty on the ride.”

 

“Are you telling me I can’t have my way with you before the wedding?” Keith whined.

 

Shiro placed a small kiss on Keith’s downturned lips. “Yeah… but save that thought for later.”

 

Keith angled his hips into Shiro’s, forcing a breathy moan from his throat. “What’s it going to take to change your mind?”

 

Shiro glanced behind himself at the front door. Technically there was still time. Everyone had probably gathered in Medina’s backyard, but it was too early to get ready. As best man, Moore would be distracting Medina from his pre-wedding jitters with beer, hopefully not too much; Woolf and Celine would be rehearsing with Shawn so that he could walk his mother down the aisle; Jules was probably still taunting Erikson about elbowing all twenty of Nadia’s cousins out of the way to snag the bouquet for himself.

 

“We’d have to make it quick,” Shiro replied, knowing it was essentially a ‘yes, take me now’ to Keith’s ears.

 

Keith grinned and then pushed Shiro through the front door. Turned on by Keith’s strength, Shiro’s eyes widened with surprise as he backed toward the futon. After an entire month of waiting for Keith’s return, it was as if flood gates had opened. A dizzying heat rolled down Shiro’s body and pooled in his groin.

 

“New mattress?” Keith asked, following each step Shiro took, so close that he could feel his breath ghosting along his neck.

 

“Until we get a king-sized bed,” Shiro replied, voice dripping with lust. Backed up to the edge of the futon, he splayed his fingers up Keith’s abdomen and over the armor protecting his chest. “I can’t wait to rip this off of you.”

 

“I can’t wait for you to fuck me,” Keith said, eyes half-lidded.

 

Shiro’s erection protested against the confines of his underwear and jeans, Keith’s voice quickly undoing him. “Mmm… I think I want you inside me instead.”

 

The sunlight streaming in from the windows danced in Keith’s eyes as he contemplated the options before him. Shiro helped Keith with his decision by unzipping his jacket, pulling his tee off over his head, and leaning back on the uncomfortable sofa. “I’m going to be so tight, Keith. It’s been a long time.”

 

Keith’s eyes glazed over with desire. “Fuck.”

 

Shiro smoothed a broad hand over his erection before unbuttoning his fly. “Is that a yes, baby boy?”

 

“I haven’t heard that one in a while,” Keith commented, ripping off the breastplate of his armor. “Did you pack lube?”

 

“Yeah,” Shiro admitted, pushing his jeans down his legs.

 

“So you were putting up a fight even though you came prepared?” Keith teased, taking off the rest of his armor.

 

“I didn’t want to rush. But you look so delicious in that suit and—” Shiro swallowed. The last time Keith had topped, it had been their final night together before Shiro was quarantined for the week leading up to the Kerberos launch. 

 

His primal hunger unexpectedly waned, allowing some space for him to take in the moment and reexamine the man towering over the bed. A stronger, smarter, slightly weathered version of the defiant boy who’d stolen his hoverbike and shortly thereafter, his heart. He wanted to lick, suck, and bite every square inch of Keith’s body and yet he needed a moment to simply hold him. Shiro’s voice softened. “Come here.” 

 

Keith obeyed and Shiro was suddenly covered by a blanket of lean muscle and neoprene. Or was it spandex? Kevlar? He pressed soft kisses to Keith’s temple, his forehead, his eyelids. “You are all I want in this universe. I will always love you,” he whispered against Keith’s soft skin, tasting the salt in his sweat and a tear that began to trickle down his cheek. “Hey, no tears. OK? You said not much longer until I come back with you, right?”

 

Keith nodded and sniffled. “Yeah, I know. I love you, too,” he murmured.

 

The two lay in silence while Shiro stroked Keith’s hair, Keith’s ear to Shiro’s chest, listening to his heart beat slow down after the brief tease. Mindful of the passing time, Shiro nudged Keith with his hip. “Hey… You’re going to have to settle for a rushed hand job if we don’t get moving.”

 

Keith snickered and pushed up and away from Shiro’s body. “Is that a threat?”

 

Shiro laughed; Keith would always rise to the challenge. “Yeah. Get this high-tech suit off or else you’ll have to explain to Kolivan how your uniform was completely destroyed after only one night on Earth.”

 

Keith smirked and sat up with his back to Shiro. “Unzip me?”  

 

Like unwrapping a gift, Shiro pulled the hidden zipper down, anticipation coursing through his veins as he exposed more and more of Keith’s skin. When the zipper stopped, he leaned forward, pressing open-mouthed kisses up and down Keith’s spine, impatient hands pushing the fabric over his shoulders.

 

Keith rose up from the bed to slowly strip the suit off his torso. He shimmied it over his lean hips and then bent over to give Shiro an eyeful of his flawlessly curved backside. 

 

“Do you usually go commando in that suit?” Shiro gulped, erection twitching, drinking in Keith’s perfection on display.

 

Hair grazing his toes, Keith peered at Shiro over his shoulder. “Nope. Just for you,” he purred, peeling the rest of the suit down his legs. 

 

“Oh god, Keith. Do you know how gorgeous you are?”

 

A bashful shrug was Keith’s only answer before he rolled back up, one vertebra at a time, teasing Shiro with every flexing muscle before sauntering back to the bed to yank Shiro’s trunks off. Shiro gripped Keith’s forearm and pulled him down, mouths meeting with a passionate rush of tongues and saliva-slick lips. Shiro arched up into Keith and felt his boyfriend’s mouth go slack with pleasure.

 

Raising Keith’s hand to his lips, Shiro lathed his tongue along the pads of his fingers before sucking two of them into his mouth and removing them with a  _ pop _ . He pushed Keith’s arm down along his body and underneath, positioning Keith’s wet fingers where he wanted them most. Keith shifted to the side for more leverage and to watch Shiro’s eyes roll back as he pressed one finger inside. 

 

“Mmm… More, baby…”

 

Keith curled a lip, determined to take Shiro apart, to make him scream his name in pleasure. He added a second finger and got what he clearly wanted, mouth pulling into a confident, satisfied grin.

 

“Keith!” Shiro choked out, instinctively thrusting himself down onto Keith’s fingers, demanding more. It took a massive amount of restraint not to completely take control, to push Keith over, climb on top, and slide down onto Keith’s dripping erection. But he knew he wanted to wait for that feeling as Keith slowly penetrated him and that look on his face as he slid in. Shiro could practice some self-restraint. Well, at least for another sixty seconds. 

 

“More?” Keith rasped.

 

“Yeah, baby,” Shiro breathed.

 

Keith withdrew his hand, curled his tongue around his ring finger and then buried three fingers between the cleft of Shiro’s ass, drawing a prolonged shudder over his body. And then Shiro lost his patience. He wrapped his hand around Keith’s shaft, running his thumb through the bead of precum at the tip. “I want you… now,” he demanded.

 

“Or else you’re going to give me a crappy handjob and send me on my way?” Keith teased.

 

“Yes,” Shiro gasped while slowly pumping. “A very, terrible, sloppy handjob. The worst of your life.”

 

Keith giggled, eyes roaming over the discarded clothes on the floor to locate the lubricant’s most likely hiding place. “I don’t think that’s possible, Captain Overachiever.”

 

Shiro tried to focus to answer his boyfriend’s relentless snark. “Try me.”

 

“You want it too badly to do that,” Keith replied darkly before pulling his fingers out.

 

Shiro bit back a whine but smiled. Keith was so right.

 

Shorty after the snap of the lube bottle cap, they were nothing more than intertwined limbs and panting moans, Keith grunting with forceful, possessive thrusts, Shiro reveling in how much stronger and more confident the man on top of him had become. He’d never thought it would be possible to love Keith any more than he already did. But love wasn’t bound by carbon-based molecules, gravity, space, or time. It was all around them, wherever they were, no matter how great or small the distance that separated them.

 

On the verge of tears, Shiro came hard, spilling over Keith’s hand. The waves of his climax brought Keith over the edge next, his thrusts slowing, arms trembling, body collapsing until they were a sweaty, sticky heap on the futon.

 

“Do you think Medina will mind if I come to the wedding with fuck-me hair?” Keith asked after he caught his breath.

 

Shiro laughed, Keith’s weight limiting his motion. “We have time for a shower, I don’t think you need to make an entrance with sweat and semen in your hair.”

 

“What the—” Keith ran his clean hand through his hair and sure enough, it snagged on a particularly sticky knot. “How did that happen?”

 

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

 

“Your ejaculation is so forceful that it defies the laws of gravity?”

 

Shiro attempted to prop himself. “I just love you that much.”

 

Keith snickered. “More like I made you come that hard.”

 

Shiro let himself flop back down on the mattress. “You’re right. Oh god, that felt good. I wish we could lie here for a little longer but we really need to go.”

 

Still riding high from their not-quick-enough quickie, Shiro cleaned himself while Keith dressed in the casual clothes he’d packed. They finally stepped outside, eyes squinting as they adjusted to the sun. Shiro locked the front door and then led Keith by the hand to his hoverbike.

 

“You painted the bike black?” Keith questioned, clearly recognizing other details of the vehicle. The deep scratch was still there on the left rear panel, just smoothed over by extra layers of paint and time. 

 

“Celine and the guys found it out here and painted it so it wouldn’t be recognizable. You want to drive?” Shiro asked, pulling a spare helmet out of the storage compartment. 

 

“No. I want to sit behind you while you drive. Like the good old days.”

 

“Feels like a lifetime ago.”

 

“It was. Maybe I can cop a feel while I’ve got my arms around you.”

 

Shiro laughed. “Do you know how many times I thought about that the first time we rode out into the desert?”

 

Keith grinned and ran a suggestive finger up Shiro’s bicep. “Me, too. Your abs were all I could think about. I’m surprised I had the capacity to do anything else. Fucking... kenjutsu lessons.”

 

Shiro reluctantly pulled Keith’s wandering hand off of him and mounted the bike. “No more distractions, I’m a groomsman, I can’t be late.” He then grabbed his phone from his pocket and located a song for the occasion. He’d gone so long without music that he couldn’t get enough of it. “I’d let you pick the music for the ride but I have the perfect song to play for you.”

 

“Oh god, I’m scared,” Keith joked as he got on behind Shiro.

 

_ Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth? _

_ Ooh, heaven is a place on earth _

 

“Is this Belinda Carlisle? This shit is so old! You’re lucky it’s been a while since I’ve listened to your music or else I’d snatch that phone from you and toss it off the side of a canyon,” Keith snarked. 

 

_ They say in heaven love comes first _

_ We'll make heaven a place on earth _

_ Ooh, heaven is a place on earth _

 

Shiro belted out a few cringe-worthy lyrics while Keith covered his ears, his laughter shaking the bike. He looked at Keith over his shoulder and turned the song down. “I know it’s only for one night, but it’s good to have you back.”

 

Keith’s smile shone brighter than the desert sun and he was, without a doubt, all the home Shiro had ever wanted. “It’s good to be back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And… they lived happily ever after!  
> I really wanted the ending of S8 to be these two riding off into the desert. Oh well.  
> Thank you for reading! S&W simply started out as me trying my hand at writing down my fandom ideas rather than keeping them to myself. Extra-huge thanks to those who commented, screamed on social media, followed one of my self-indulgent playlists, or felt inspired to write or draw. You have no idea how much that shit means. <3
> 
> [avidbeader](http://archiveofourown.org/users/avidbeader) has been critical in helping me beta and really pushed me to write a more fleshed-out ending than I had originally planned. So thank you, avid, for being an awesome sounding board, helping me fact check and cross-reference stuff with the series, and obviously finding those stupid typos that evade me no matter how many times I reread. You’re the absolute best!
> 
> Speaking of playlists, I got carried away one night and made mini moodboards as “cover art” for each character [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/vn4nlsmslld9gxecp47ntmz4a?si=tJr2XE3XQXmEYc7ZnNncjQ). And [@holly-beary’s](https://twitter.com/holly__beary) art graces the cover art for the S&W soundtrack which has been updated with the songs referenced in this chapter. And… I got even more carried away and made a playlist inspired by Rivali and Elise’s [roadtrip](https://open.spotify.com/user/vn4nlsmslld9gxecp47ntmz4a/playlist/68RnKXp9fEp8jwm9AqTuvG?si=udZHJm1mQ0y6NYxA9ja8NQ) playlist (songs that very loosely tell a story of their journey mixed with some roadtrip-themed songs) I’m hugely entertained at the thought of these two pissing off people in tiny rural towns as they travel across the US.
> 
> I've reordered the works in this series so that the sequence of events makes sense. Just so no one's like, wait part 4 is now part 2?
> 
> I’m still on [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/latart) but got marked as explicit and I’m trying to sort it. And I’m now on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Latart0903).


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